CELEBR?ITED 

W^ElM 

TRAVELLERS 


^' 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


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CELEBRATED   WOMEN   TRAVELLERS. 


YOKOHAMA. 


CekkraleJr  SSomeu  Crakllers 


OF   THE 


NINETEENTH  CENTURY 


W.     H.     DAVENPORT    ADAMS 


NEW  YORK 

E.    P.    DUTTON     &    CO. 
1903 


^ 


CONTENTS. 


PAGb 

■Countess  Dora  D'Istria 17 

The  Princess  of  Belgiojoso 48 

Madame  Hommaire  de  Hell 66 

Madame  L£onie  D'Aunet 126 

Miss  Frederika  Bremer 134 

^Iademoiselle  Alexina  Tinne        .....  184 

Madame  Ida  Pfeiffer 215 

Madame  de  Bourboulon. 270 

Lady  Hester  Stanhope 302 

I.ady  Brassey 340 

Lady  Morgan 379 

Mrs.  Trollope 385 

Miss  Harriet  Martinead       ,        .        .        .        .        .  404 

Miss  I.^abella  Bird 418 

Lady  Florence  Dixie 437 

Miss  Gordon  Gumming 443 

Florence  and  Rosamond  Hill 452 

Lady  Barker 456 

^'Magyarland"        .                458 


295464 


WOMAN  AS  A  TRAVELLER 


COUNTESS   DORA   D'ISTRIA. 

THE  PRINCESS  HELENA  KOLTZOFF- 
MASSALSKY,  better  known  by  her  pseudonym 
of  Dora  d'lstria,*  came  of  the  family  of  the  Ghikas, 
formerly  princes  of  Wallachia,  and  was  born  at  Bucha- 
rest, on  the  22nd  of  January,  1829.  Through  the  care 
and  conscientiousness  of  her  instructor,  Mons.  Papa- 
dopoulos,  and  her  own  remarkable  capacity,  she  ac- 
quired a  very  complete  and  comprehensive  education. 
When  but  eleven  years  old,  she  composed  a  charming 
little  story,  and  before  she  had  reached  womanhood, 
undertook  a  translation  of  the  Iliad.  She  showed  no 
inclination  for  the  frivolous  amusements  of  a  frivolous 
society.  Her  view  of  life  and  its  responsibilities  was 
a  serious  one,  and  she  addressed  all   her  energies  to 


•  A  pseudonym  derived  from  the  ancient  name  of  the  Danube— Ister. 

17 


l8  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

the  work  of  self-improvement  and  self-culture.  She 
read  and  re-read  the  literary  masterpieces  of  England, 
France  and  Germany.  As  a  linguist  she  earned  special 
distinction. 

**  Her  intellectual  faculties/'  says  her  master,  M. 
Papadopoulos,  "  expanded  with  so  much  rapidity,  that 
the  professors  charged  with  her  instruction  could  not 
keep  any  other  pupil  abreast  of  her  in  the  same  studies. 
Not  only  did  she  make  a  wholly  unexpected  and  un- 
hoped-for progress,  but  it  became  necessary  for  her 
teachers  to  employ  with  her  a  particular  method  :  her 
genius  could  not  submit  to  the  restraint  of  ordinary 
rules." 

She  was  still  in  the  springtime  and  flush  of  youth, 
when  she  went  on  a  tour  to  Germany,  and  visited 
several  German  courts,  where  she  excited  the  same 
sentiments  of  admiration  as  in  her  own  country ;  it  was 
impossible  to  see  her  without  being  attracted  by  so 
much  intellect,  grace  and  amiability.  Travelling  en- 
larged her  horizon  :  she  was  able  to  survey,  as  from  a 
watch-tower,  the  course  of  great  political  events,  and 
she  found  herself  mixing  continually  with  the  most 
celebrated  savants  and  statesmen  of  the  age.  Her 
friendly  relations  with  persons  of  very  diverse  opinions, 
while  enabling  her  to  compare  and  contrast  a  great 
variety  of  theories,  did  but  strengthen  in  her  "  the 
idea  and  sentiment  of  liberty,  which  can  alone  con- 
duct society  to  its  true  aim."  Finally,  from  the 
Italian  revolution  of  1848,  which  awoke  her  warmeet 


COUNTESS  DORA  UISTRIA,  19 

sympathies,  she  learned  to  understand  the  fatal  con- 
sequences of  despotic  government,  as  well  as  the  inevit- 
able mistakes  of  freedom,  when  first  unfettered  and 
allowed  to  walk  alone. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  she  was  married  (February, 
1849),  ^^d  soon  afterwards  she  set  out  for  St.  Peters- 
burg, where  she  was  recognised  as  the  ornament  of  the 
higher  society.  In  the  midst  of  her  numerous  engage- 
ments, in  the  midst  of  the  homage  rendered  to  her 
wit  and  grace,  she  found  time  to  collect  a  mass  of 
valuable  notes  on  the  condition  and  inner  life  of  the 
:great  Russian  Empire,  several  provinces  of  which  she 
knew  from  personal  observation.  From  St.  Petersburg 
to  Moscow,  from  Odessa  to  Revel,  her  untiring  activity 
carried  her.  Most  social  questions  are  at  work  under 
an  apparent  calm,  and  offer,  therefore,  subjects  well 
worthy  of  careful  study,  especially  to  so  grave  and  clear 
an  intellect  as  that  of  Princess  Dora  d'Istria,  who  pos- 
sessed, in  the  highest  degree,  the  faculty  of  steady 
meditation  amidst  the  movement  and  the  world-stir 
that  surrounded  her.  The  world,  charmed  by  her  per- 
•sonal  attractions,  had  no  suspicion  of  the  restlessness 
and  activity  of  her  inquiring  mind. 

Her  departure  to  the  South  brought  her  inquiries  and 
investigations  to  an  end.  She  had  suffered  so  much 
from  the  terrible  winters  of  the  great  Northern  capital, 
and  her  health  was  so  seriously  shaken,  that  her  doctors 
presented  to  her  the  grave  alternative  of  departure  or 
death  (1855). 


ao  WO  MAM  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

The  Princess  Dora  d'Istria,  as  we  have  hinted,  was. 
a  fine  linguist  She  made  herself  mistress  of  niiv 
languages.  Her  historical  erudition  was  profound ;  her 
mind  was  continually  in  search  of  new  knowledge.  She 
seemed  to  have  inherited  from  one  of  her  illustrious 
friends.  ,M.  von  Humboldt,  that  "  fever  of  study,"  that 
insatiable  ardour,  which,  if  not  genius,  is  closely  akin 
to  It. 

The  great  Berlin  philosopher  and  the  young  Walla- 
chian  writer  lived  for  some  time  in  an  intellectuali 
confraternity,  which,  no  doubt,  is  to  this  day  one  of 
the  most  valuable  souvenirs  of  the  brilliant  author  of 
*'  La  Vie  Monastique  dans  I'Eglise  Orientale."  In  refer- 
ence to  this  subject,  we  take  leave  to  quote  a  passage 
from  the  graceful  pen  of  M.  Charles  Yriarte : — 

"The  scene  lies  at  Sans-Souci,  in  one  of  the  cele- 
brated saloons  where  the  great  Frederick  supped  with. 
Voltaire,  d'Alembert  and  Maupertuis.  *  Old  Fritz '  has- 
been  dead  a  hundred  years ;  but  the  court  of  Prussia, 
under  the  rule  of  Frederick  William,  is  still  the  asylum, 
of  beaiix  esprits.  The  time  is  the  first  and  brilliant  period 
of  his  reign,  when  the  king  gathers  around  him  artists- 
and  men  of  science,  and  writes  to  Humboldt  invitations 
to  dinner  in  verse,  which  he  seals  with  the  great  Seal: 
of  State,  in  order  that  the  philosopher  may  have  no^ 
excuse  for  absenting  himself  A  few  years  later,  and^ 
alas,  artists  and  poets  give  place  to  soldiers  ! 

"The  whole  of  the  royal  family  are   collected  at  a. 


COUNTESS  DORA   UISTRIA.  zv 

summer  fete,  and  with  them  the  most  famous  names  in. 
art  and  science,  and  some  strangers  of  distinction. 

"  The  prince  has  recently  received  a  consignment  of 
ancient  sculptures  and  works  of  art,  and  while  the  royal 
family  saunter  among  the  groves  of  Charlottenhof,  M. 
von  Humboldt  and  the  aged  Ranch,  the  Prussian- 
sculptor,  examine  them,  and  investigate  their  secrets. 
Ranch  is  a  grand  type  of  a  man.  This  senior  or  doyen 
of  the  German  artists,  who  died  overwhelmed  with 
glory  and  honours,  had  been  a  vaUt  de  chambre  in  the 
Princess  Louisa's  household.  He  had  followed  the 
princess  to  Rome,  where,  among  the  masterpieces  of 
antiquity  and  of  the  Renaissance,  she  had  divined  the 
budding  genius  of  him  who  was  to  carve  in  everlasting 
marble  the  monumental  figure  of  the  great  Frederick. 

"  These  two  illustrious  men  are  bending  over  a  basso- 
relievo  with  a  Greek  inscription,  when  the  king  enters ;  he 
is  accompanied  by  a  gentleman,  who  has  on  either  arm 
a  fair  young  girl  in  the  spring  of  her  youth  and  beauty. 
The  king  invites  M.  von  Humboldt  to  explain  the 
inscription,  and  the  gallant  old  man  goes  straight  to- 
one  of  the  young  girls,  excusing  himself  for  not  at- 
tempting to  translate  it  in  the  presence  of  one  of  the 
greatest  Hellenists  of  the  time. 

"  *  Come,  your  Highness,'  he  says,  *  make  the  oracle- 
speak.' 

'*  And  the  young  princess  reads  off  the  inscription^ 
fluently,  setting  down  M.  von  Humboldt's  ignorance  to 
the  account  of  his  politeness. 


22  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

•'  The  king  compliments  the  handsome  stranger,  and 
Ranch,  struck  by  her  great  beauty,  inquires  of  his  friend 
who  may  be  this  fair,  sweet  Muse,  who  gives  to  the 
marbles  the  tongue  of  eloquence,  who,  young  and  lovely 
as  an  antique  Venus,  seems  already  as  wise  and  prudent 
as  Minerva. 

"  You  see  that  it  is  a  pretty  tableau  de  geftre,  worthy 
of  the  brush  of  Mentzel,  the  German  painter,  or  of 
the  French  Meissonier.  For  background  the  canvas 
will  have  the  picturesque  Louis  Quatorze  interiors  of 
Sans-Souci ;  in  the  foreground,  the  king  and  the  great 
Humboldt,  who  inclines  towards  the  young  girl;  far- 
ther off,  her  sister  leaning  on  their  father's  arm,  and 
the  aged  Ranch,  who  closes  up  the  scene  and  holds 
lin  his  hand  the  bas-relief 

"  That  young  girl,  who  has  just  given  a  proof  of  her 
■erudition  is  Helena  Ghika,  now  famous  under  the 
literary  pseudonym  of  Dora  dTstria.  The  old  man  is 
the  Prince  Michael,  her  father,  whose  family,  originally 
of  Epirus,  has  for  the  last  two  centuries  been  estab- 
lished in  the  Danubian  Principalities,  and  has  supplied 
Wallachia  with  Hospodars.  The  other  young  lady  is 
Helena's  sister." 

Dora  d'l stria  was  one  of  those  fine,  quick  intelli- 
gences which  look  upon  the  world — that  is,  upon 
humanity — as,  in  the  poet's  words,  "The  proper  study 
of  mankind." 

"  It  has  always  seemed  to  me,"  she  one  day  observed, 


COUNTESS  DORA   lyiSTRIA,  23 

"that  women,  in  travelling,  might  complete  the  task 
of  the  most  scientific  travellers ;  for,  as  a  fact,  woman 
carries  certain  special  aptitudes  into  literature.  She 
perceives  more  quickly  than  man  everything  connected 
with  national  life  and  the  manners  of  the  people.  A 
wide  field,  much  too  neglected,  lies  open,  therefore,  to 
her  observation.  But,  in  order  that  she  may  fitly 
explore  it,  she  needs,  what  she  too  often  fails  to 
possess,  a  knowledge  of  languages  and  of  history,  as 
well  as  the  capability  of  conforming  herself  to  the 
different  habitudes  of  nations,  and  the  faculty  of  en- 
during great  fatigues. 

"  Happily  for  myself,  I  was  not  deficient  in  linguistic 
knowledge.  In  my  family  the  only  language  made  use 
of  was  French.  M.  Papadopoulos  at  an  early  age 
taught  me  Greek,  which  in  the  East  is  as  important  as 
French  in  the  West  The  Germanic  tongues  terrified  me 
at  first,  the  peoples  of  Pelasgic  origin  having  no  taste 
for  those  idioms.  But  I  was  industrious  enough  and 
patient  enough  to  triumph  over  all  such  difficulties,  and 
though  the  study  of  languages  is  far  from  being  popular 
in  the  Latin  countries,  I  did  not  cease  to  pursue  it  until 
the  epoch  of  my  marriage. 

"M.  Papadopoulos  has  often  referred  to  my  pas- 
sionate love  of  history  even  in  my  early  childhood 
This  passion  has  constantly  developed.  The  more  I 
have  travelled,  the  more  clearly  I  have  perceived  that 
one  cannot  know  a  people  unless  one  knows  thoroughly 
its  antecedents  ;  that  is,  if  one  be  not  fully  acquainted 


-24  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

■with  its  annals  and  its  chief  writers.  In  studying  a 
nation  only  in  its  contemporary  manifestations,  one  is 
exposed  to  the  error  into  which  one  would  assuredl** 
fall  if  one  attempted  to  estimate  the  character  of  an 
individual  after  living  only  a  few  hours  in  his  company. 
"  Besides,  to  understand  nations  thoroughly,  it  is 
necessary  to  examine,  without  any  aristocratic  prejudice, 
all  the  classes  of  which  they  are  composed.  In 
Switzerland,  I  lived  among  the  mountains,  that  I  might 
gain  an  exact  idea  of  the  Alpine  life.  In  Greece,  I  tra- 
versed on  horseback  the  solitudes  of  the  Peloponnesus 
In  Italy,  I  have  established  relations  with  people  of  all 
faiths  and  conditions,  and  whenever  the  opportunity 
has  occurred,  have  questioned  with  equal  curiosity 
the  merchant  and  the  savant,  the  fisherman  and  the 
politician.  When  I  appear  to  be  resting  myself,  I  am 
really  making  those  patient  investigations,  indispensable 
to  all  who  would  conscientiously  study  a  country." 

After  residing  for  some  years  in  Russia,  she  felt  the  need 
•ot  living  thenceforward  in  a  freer  atmosphere,  and  betook 

herself  to  Switzerland.     Her  sojourn  in  that  country — a 

kind  of  Promised  Land  for  all  those  who  in  their  own 
•country  have  never  enjoyed  the  realisation  of  their 
•aspirations — was  very  advantageous  to  her.     She  learned 

in  Switzerland  to  love  and  appreciate  liberty,  as   in  Italy 

the  fine  arts,  and  in  England  industry. 

The  work  of  Dora  d'lstria  upon  German  Switzerland  is 
♦less  descriptive  than   philosophical.     The  plan   she  has 


COUNTESS  DORA   LPISTRIA.  us 

•adopted  is  open  perhaps  to  criticism  :  such  mixture  of 
poetry  and  erudition  may  offend  severer  tastes  ;  we  grow 
indulgent,  however,  when  we  perceive  that  the  writer 
preserves  her  individuality  while  passing  from  enthusiastic 
•dithyrambs  to  the  most  abstract  historical  dissertations. 

It  is  not,  however,  the  woman  of  letters  so  much  as 
the  patient  untiring  female  traveller  whom  we  seek  to 
introduce  to  our  readers  in  these  pages.  We  attempt 
therefore,  no  analysis  of  her  works,*  but  proceed  to  speak 
of  her  mountaineering  experiences  :  the  most  important  is 
the  ascent  of  the  Monch,  a  summit  of  the  Jungfrau 
system — one  of  the  lofty  snow-clad  peaks  which  enclose 
the  ice-rivers  of  the  Oberaar  and  the  Unteraar.  We  shall 
allow  Madame  Dora  d'Istria  to  conduct  us  in  person 
through  the  difficulties  of  so  arduous  an  enterprise. 

"When  I  announced  my  project  of  scaling  the  highest 
•summits  of  the  Alps,  the  astonishment  was  general 
Some  imagined  that  it  was  a  mere  whim  which  would 
t>e  fully  satisfied  by  the  noise  it  caused.  Others 
exclaimed  against  a  hardihood  willing  to  encounter 
•so  many  perils.  None  were  inclined  to  regard  my 
words  as  dictated   by  an   intimate   conviction.      None 


*  The  chief  of  which  are :  '*  La  Vie  Monastique  dans  TEglisc 
•Orientale,"  1855;  "La  Suisse  AUemande,"  1856;  "Les  Heros 
<le  la  Roumanie;"  "Les  Roumains  et  la  Papaute"  (in  Italian)  ; 
•'Excursions  en  Roumelie  et  en  Moree,"  1863  ;  "  Les  Femmes  de 
Q'Orient,"  1858 ;  "Les  Femmes  d'Occident ;"  "Les  Femme*, 
4>ar  une  Femme,"   1865. 


36  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

could  accustom  themselves  to  the  idea  of  su 
extraordinary  a  scheme.  The  excitement  was  redoubled 
at  the  departure  of  the  different  telegraphic  despatches 
summoning  from  their  village  homes  the  guides  spoken 
of  as  the  most  resolute  in  the  district.  One  hope, 
however,  remained  :  that  these  guides  themselves  would 
dissuade  me  from  my  enterprise.  Pierre  was  encouraged 
to  dilate  upon  the  dangers  which  I  should  incur  among 
the  glaciers.  Through  the  telescope  I  was  shown  the 
precipices  of  the  Jungfrau.  All  the  manuals  of 
travellers  of  Switzerland  lay  upon  my  tables.  Everybody 
insisted  on  reading  to  me  the  most  frightful  passages — 
those  most  likely,  as  they  thought,  to  unnerve  me.  But, 
on  the  contrary,  these  stirring  stories  did  but  sharpen  my 
curiosity,  did  but  quicken  my  impatience  to  set  out  I 
ceased  to  think  of  anything  but  the  snowy  wildernesses 
which  crown  the  lofty  mountain  summits. 

"  I  summoned  Pierre  to  my  private  apartment,  and 
spoke  to  him  with  firmness,  so  as  to  strengthen  his  reso- 
lutions. My  words  reassured  him.  '  Whatever  happens,' 
he  said,  '  do  you  take  the  responsibility  ?  '  '  Assuredly,' 
I  answered ;  and  I  gave  him  my  hand,  engaging  him  at 
the  same  time  to  remain  unmoved  by  any  remonstrance, 
to  encourage  the  guides  on  their  arrival,  before  they  could 
be  exposed  to  any  foreign  influence.  He  promised,  and 
his  face  brightened  at  the  sight  of  my  tranquil  smile. 
He  went  away  to  superintend  the  preparations  for  the 
expedition,  and  arrange  my  masculine  costume,  which 
consisted  of  woollen  pantaloons  striped  with  black  and 


COUNTESS  DORA   UISTRIA,  27 

white,  of  a  closely  buttoned  coat  descending  to  my 
knees,  of  a  round  felt  hat  like  that  of  a  mountaineer, 
and  a  pair  of  large  strong  boots.  Oh,  how  slow  the  hours 
seemed  to  me  !  I  dreaded  so  keenly  any  occurrence 
which  might  thwart  my  wishes,  that  I  could  scarcely 
listen  to  the  questions  put  to  me  respecting  the  necessary 
arrangements.  Everything  wearied  me,  except  the  sight 
of  the  Jungfrau  and  of  Pierre,  who  seemed  to  me  a  friend 
into  whose  hands  I  had  entrusted  my  dearest  hope. 

*'  The  first  to  arrive  were  the  guides  of  Grindelwald. 
I  uttered  a  cry  of  joy  when  Pierre  Bohren  appeared,  a 
man  of  low  stature  but  thickset  limbs,  and  Jean  Aimer, 
who  was  tall  and  robust.  Both  were  chamois  hunters, 
renowned  for  their  intrepidity.  They  looked  at  me  with 
curious  attentiveness.  They  confessed,  with  the  fi-ank 
cordiality  peculiar  to  these  brave  mountaineers,  that 
their  experience  would  be  of  no  service  in  the  expedi- 
tion I  was  undertaking,  as  they  had  never  attempted  any 
one  like  it  They  knew,  however,  the  perils  of  the 
glaciers,  for  every  day  they  risked  their  lives  among 
them.  But  Bohren,  who  had  ventured  the  farthest,  had 
not  passed  beyond  the  grotto  of  the  Eiger. 

"  Before  coming  to  a  definite  decision,  we  waited  the 
arrival  of  Hans  Jaun  of  Meyringen,  who  had  accompanied 
M.  Agassiz  in  his  ascent  of  the  Jungfrau  (in  1841).  He 
arrived  towards  morning,  and  called  upon  me  in  company 
with  Ulrich  Lauerer,  of  Lauterbrunnen.  The  latter  was 
as  tall  as  Aimer,  but  did  not  seem  so  ready.  I  learned 
afterwards  that  he  was  still  suffering  firom  a  fall  which  he 

2 


i6  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

had  but  recently  met  with  while  hunting.  Hans  Jaun 
was  the  oldest  of  all  and  the  least  robust.  His  hair  was 
growing  grey,  his  eyelids  were  rimmed  with  a  blood- 
coloured  border.  However,  he  presided  over  the 
gathering.  I  had  closed  the  door,  so  that  no  one 
should  disturb  our  solemn  conference.  The  guides 
appeared  meditative,  and  sought  to  read  in  my  eyes  if 
my  firmness  were  real  or  assumed. 

"  It  was  decided  that  we  should  take  with  us  four 
porters  loaded  with  provisions,  ladders,  ropes,  and  pick- 
axes ;  that  towards  evening  I  should  start  for  Inter- 
lachen  with  Pierre  and  Jaun,  and  that  the  other  guides 
should  await  me  at  Grindelwald.  Then  we  separated 
with  the  friendly  greeting,  *Au  revoir.' 

"  Scarcely  had  the  sun  dropped  below  the  horizon, 
streaked  with  long  bars  of  fire,  when  I  took  my  solitary 
seat  in  an  open  carriage.  Peter  occupied  the  box.  We 
traversed  the  walnut-tree  avenues  of  Interlachen  and  its 
smiling  gardens.  We  followed  the  banks  of  the  pale 
Liitschina,  which  bounds  through  the  midst  of  abrupt 
rocks.  Clouds  accumulated  on  the  sky.  Soon  we  heard 
the  distant  roar  of  thunder.  We  passed  into  the  pre- 
sence of  colossal  mountains,  whose  rugged  peaks  rose 
like  inaccessible  fortresses.  On  turning  round,  I  could 
see  nothing  in  the  direction  of  Interlachen  but  gloomy 
vaporous  depths,  impenetrable  to  the  eye.  Nearer  and 
nearer  drew  the  thunder,  filling  space  with  its  sonorous 
voice.  The  wind  whistled,  the  Liitschina  rolled  its 
groaning   waters.     The  spectacle   was   sublime.     Night 


COUNTESS  DORA   UISTRIA.  it, 

gathered  in  all  around,  and  the  vicinity  of  Grindelwald 
I  could  make  out  only  by  the  lights  in  the  chalets 
scattered  upon  the  hill. 

"  I  had  scarcely  entered  beneath  the  hospitable  roof  of 
the  hotel  of  the  Eagle,  before  the  rain  fell  in  torrents, 
like  a  waterspout.  I  elevated  my  soul  to  God.  At  this 
moment  the  thunder  burst,  the  avalanches  resounded 
among  the  mountains,  and  the  echoes  a  thousand  times 
repeated  the  noise  of  their  fall. 

"  The  stars  were  paling  in  the  firmament  when  I  opened 
my  window.  Mists  clothed  the  horizon.  The  rushing 
wind  soon  tore  them  aside,  and  drove  them  into  the 
gorges,  whence  descend,  in  the  shape  of  a  fan,  the 
unformed  masses  of  the  lower  glacier,  soiled  with  a 
blackish  dust. 

*'The  storm  of  the  preceding  evening,  those  dense 
clouds  which  gave  to  the  Alps  a  more  formidable  aspect 
than  ever,  the  well-meant  remonstrances  of  the  herds- 
men of  the  valley,  all  awakened  in  the  heart  of  my  guides 
a  hesitation  not  difficult  to  understand  on  the  part  of  men 
who  feared  the  burden  of  a  great  responsibility.  They 
made  another  effort  to  shake  my  resolution.  They 
showed  me  a  black  tablet  attached  to  the  wall  of  the 
church  which  crowns  the  heights  : — 

AlME    MUNON,   MiN.    DU   S.    EV. 

Tomb  A  dans  un  gouffre 

De  la  Mer  de  Glace. 

ici  repose  son  corps, 

Retir6  de  l'abime. 


.30  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

"I  said  to  Pierre,  after  glancing  at  this  pathetic  inscrip- 
tion, 'The  soul  of  this  young  man  rests  in  peace  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Everlasting.  As  for  us,  we  shall  soon 
return  here  to  give  thanks  to  God.' 

"  '  Good  !'  replied  Pierre ;  '  that  is  to  say,  nothing  will 
make  you  draw  back.' 

"  He  rejoined  his  companions,  and  I  went  to  shut 
myself  up  in  my  chamber. 

"  The  deep  solitude  around  me  had  in  it  something  of 
solemnity.  Before  my  eyes  the  Wetterhorn  raised  its 
scarped  acclivities  ;  to  the  right,  the  masses  of  the  Eiger, 
to  the  left,  the  huge  Scheideck  and  the  Faulhorn. 
Those  gloomy  mountains  which  surrounded  me,  that 
tranquillity  troubled  only  by  the  rush  of  the  torrent  in 
the  valley  and  by  an  occasional  avalanche,  all  this 
was  truly  majestic,  and  I  felt  as  if  transported  into  a 
world  where  all  things  were  unlike  what  I  had  seen 
before.  My  mind  had  seldom  enjoyed  a  calm  so 
complete. 

"  I  had  not  the  patience  to  wait  for  morning.  Before 
it  appeared,  I  was  on  foot.  I  breakfasted  in  haste,  and 
assumed  my  masculine  dress,  to  which  I  found  it 
difficult  to  grow  accustomed.  I  was  conscious  of  my 
awkwardness,  and  it  embarrassed  all  my  movements.  I 
summoned  Pierre,  and  asked  him  if  I  could  by  any 
means  be  conveyed  as  far  as  the  valley.  He  sent,  to 
my  great  satisfaction,  for  a  sedan-chair.  MeauAvhile,  I 
exercised  myself  by  walking  up  and  down  my  room,  for 
I  feared  the  guides  would  despair  of  me  if  they  saw  me 


COUNTESS  DORA   DISTRIA.  31 

itumble  at  every  step.  I  was  profoundly  humiliated,  and 
only  weighty  reasons  prevented  me  from  resuming  my 
woman's  dress.  At  last  I  bethought  myself  of  an  expe- 
dient I  made  a  parcel  of  my  silk  petticoat  and  my  boots 
{hrodequi7is\  and  gave  it  to  a  porter,  so  that  I  might 
resort  to  them  if  1  should  be  completely  paralyzed  by 
those  accursed  garments  which  I  found  so  inconvenient 

"We  had  to  wait  until  eight  o'clock  before  taking  our 
departure.  The  sun  then  made  its  appearance,  and 
the  mountains  gradually  threw  off  their  canopy  of 
mist  Having  wrapped  myself  in  a  great  plaid,  I  took 
my  seat  in  the  sedan-chair  and  started,  accompanied 
by  four  guides,  four  porters,  and  a  crowd  of  peasants, 
among  whom  was  a  Tyrolean.  All  sang  merrily  as  they 
marched  forth,  but  those  who  remained  looked  sadly 
after  us.     It  was  the  loth  of  June,  1855. 

"  We  marched  without  any  attempt  at  order,  and  the 
people  of  Grindelwald  carried  our  baggage  as  a  relief  to 
our  porters.  The  sun  was  burning.  The  peasants  took 
leave  of  us  as  soon  as  we  struck  the  path  which  creeps 
up  the  Mettenberg,  skirting  the  *  sea  of  ice.'  Only  the 
Tyrolean,  accompanied  by  his  young  guide,  remained 
with  us.  He  said  that  curiosity  impelled  him  to  follow 
us  as  long  as  he  could,  that  he  might  form  some  idea  of 
the  way  in  which  we  were  going  to  get  out  of  the  affair. 
He  sang  like  the  rest  of  the  caravan,  his  strong  voice 
rising  above  all. 

"  It  was  the  first  time  I  had  seen  the  immense  glacier 
popularly  called    'La   Mer  de   Glace.'     Through   the 


32  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

green  curtains  of  the  pinewoods,  I  gazed  upon  the 
masses  rising  from  the  gulf,  the  depths  of  which  are 
azure-tinted,  while  the  surface  is  covered  with  dirt 
and  blocks  of  snow.  The  spectacle,  however,  did  not 
impress  me  greatly,  whether  because  I  was  absorbed 
in  the  thought  of  gaining  the  very  summit  of  the 
Alps,  or  because  my  imagination  felt  some  disap- 
pointment in  finding  the  reality  far  beneath  what  it  had 
figured. 

"I  descended  from  my  sedan-chair  when  we  arrived  at 
an  imprint  in  the  marble  rock  known  as  'Martinsdruck.' 
The  gigantic  peaks  of  the  Schreckhom,  the  Eiger,  the 
Kischhorn,  rose  around  us,  almost  overwhelming  us  with 
their  grandeur.  To  the  right,  the  Mittelegi,  a  spur  of  the 
Eiger,  elevated  its  bare  and  polished  sides.  Suddenly 
the  songs  ceased,  and  my  travelling  companions  uttered 
those  exclamations,  familiar  to  Alpine  populations, 
which  re-echoed  from  rock  to  rock.  They  had  caught 
sight  of  a  hunter,  gliding  phantom-like  along  the  steep 
ascent  of  the  Mittelegi,  like  a  swallow  lost  in  space. 
But  in  vain  they  pursued  him  with  cries  and  questions ; 
he  continued  to  move  silently  along  the  black  rock. 

"At  length  we  descended  upon  the  glacier.  They  had 
abandoned  me  to  my  own  resources,  probably  to  judge 
of  my  address.  I  was  more  at  ease  in  my  clothes,  and 
with  a  sure  step  I  advanced  upon  the  snow,  striding 
across  the  crevasses  which  separated  the  different  strata 
of  ice.  By  accident,  rather  than  by  reflection,  I  looked 
out  for  the  spots  of  snow  and  there  planted  my  feeU 


COUNTESS  DORA   UISTRIA.  23 

Later  I  learned  that  this  is  always  the  safest  route,  and 
never  leads  one  into  danger.  The  Tyrolean  took 
leave  of  us,  convinced  at  last  that  I  should  get  out  of 
the  affair.  As  for  the  guides,  they  gave  vent  to  their 
feelings  in  shouts  of  joy.  They  said  that,  in  recognition 
of  my  self-reliance,  they  would  entrust  to  me  the  direction 
of  the  enterprise.  After  crossing  the  Mer  de  Glace,  we 
began  to  climb  the  steep  slopes  of  the  Ziegenberg. 

"  For  a  long  time  the  songs,  a  thousand  times  repeated, 
continued  to  answer  each  other  from  side  to  side  of  the 
glacier.  Then  we  could  hear  no  longer  the  voice  of 
men,  nor  the  bell  of  the  church  of  Grindelwald,  whose 
melancholy  notes  the  wind  had  hitherto  wafted  to  us. 
We  were  in  the  bosom  of  an  immense  wilderness,  face 
to  face  with  Heaven  and  the  wonders  of  Nature.  We 
scaled  precipitous  blocks  of  stone,  and  left  behind  us 
the  snowy  summits.  The  march  became  more  and  more 
painful.  We  crawled  on  hands  and  feet,  we  glided  like 
<:ats,  leaped  from  one  rock  to  another  like  squirrels. 
Frequently,  a  handful  of  moss  or  a  clump  of  brushwood 
was  our  sole  support,  where  we  found  no  cracks  or 
crevices.  Drops  of  blood  often  tinted,  like  purple  flowers, 
the  verdure  we  crushed  under  foot  When  this  was  want- 
ing we  contrived  to  balance  ourselves  on  the  rock  by  the 
help  of  our  alpenstocks,  having  recourse  as  seldom  as 
possible  to  one  another's  arms,  for  fear  of  dragging  the 
whole  company  into  the  abyss.  Hundreds  of  feet 
below  us  glittered  the  deep  crevasses  of  the  glacier,  in 
which  the  rays  of  the  sun  disported.     The  cold  winds, 


34  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

blowing  from  the  frozen  heights,  scarcely  cooled  our 
foreheads.  We  were  streaming  with  perspiration,  but  our 
gaiety  increased,  instead  of  diminishing,  \vith  the  dangers. 
When  we  came  to  a  stretch  of  granite,  our  speed  was 
doubled,  and  whoever  first  set  foot  upon  it  would 
announce  the  fact  to  the  others.  There  we  slipped  but 
seldom,  and  by  assisting  one  another,  we  could  walk 
erect  and  more  quickly.  Bohren  the  younger,  who  was 
one  of  our  porters  and  the  youngest  of  the  company, 
continued  his  merry  song.  In  moments  of  peril  his 
voice  acquired  a  decided  quaver,  but  he  never  paused  in 
his  march  or  in  his  cadences,  and  never  fell  back  a  step. 

"  The  prospect,  which  embraced  the  whole  valley,  was 
magnificent.  We  could  perceive  the  chalets  of  Grindel- 
wald,  like  miniatures  sprinkled  over  the  greensward.  My 
guides  exclaimed,  'Ah,  it  is  from  the  height  of  the 
heavens  that  we  behold  our  wives  ! '  And  we  continued 
our  ascent,  leaving  beneath  us  the  clouds  floating  every- 
where like  grey  scarves.  At  eleven  o'clock  we  halted  on 
a  promontory  where  we  contrived  to  find  room  by  sitting 
one  behind  the  other. 

"  The  fatigue  and  heat  had  exhausted  us,  and  no  one 
stirred,  except  the  two  Bohrens,  who  climbed  a  little 
higher  in  search  of  wood,  so  that  we  might  light  a  fire, 
and  prepare  some  refreshment  A  crystalline  springs 
filtering  through  the  marble  and  the  brushwood, 
murmured  close  beside  us.  But  all  vigorous  vegetation 
had  disappeared.  Nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  the 
grasses  and  mosses;  the  juniper,  the  wild  thymes,  wnictv 


COUNTESS  DORA   D'ISTRIA.  35 

perfumed  the  air,  and  fields  of  purple  rhododendron,  the 
metallic  leaves  of  which  mingled  with  the  black  lichens. 
At  intervals,  a  few  stunted  larches  were  outlined 
against  the  everlasting  snows.  The  Bohrens  arrived  with 
some  brushwood,  and  soon  a  fire  crackled  and  sparkled 
cheerily,  the  water  boiled,  and,  to  my  great  satisfaction, 
rhododendron  flowers  and  fragments  of  juniper  were  put 
into  it — my  companions  assuring  me  that  this  kind  of  tea 
was  excellent  and  very  wholesome. 

'*  My  thirst  was  keen,  and  I  drank  with  avidity  the 
odoriferous  beverage,  which  seemed  to  me  excellent. 

"  The  guides  had  brought  me  a  large  posy  of  beautiful 
Alpine  roses,  and  I  made  them  into  a  wreath,  which  I 
twined  around  my  hat. 

"After  an  hour's  halt,  we  resumed  our  march,  and  soon 
could  see  only  the  cold  white  snow  around  us,  without 
the  least  sign  of  vegetation  or  life.  The  acclivity  we  were 
climbing  was  very  steep,  but  having  quitted  the  bare 
rocks,  we  no  longer  ran  any  risk  of  sliding.  We 
endeavoured  to  quicken  our  steps,  in  order  to  reach, 
before  nightfall,  an  immense  cavern  known  only  to  two  of 
our  chamois  hunters,  who  made  use  of  it  as  a  hiding- 
place  when  their  unconquerable  passion  for  heroic 
adventures  tempted  them  to  disregard  the  cantonal 
regulations.  Joyous  shouts  broke  forth  when  the 
yawning  mouth  of  the  grotto  opened  wide  under  thick 
layers  of  snow.  Our  songs  recommenced,  and,  as  night 
was  coming  on,  we  pressed  forward  rapidly.  For  some 
hours  I  had  been  unconscious  of  fatigue,  and  I  could 


$6  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

have  marched  for  a  considerably  longer  period  without 
feeling  any  need  of  rest. 

"  But  the  guides  were  impatient  to  gain  a  shelter 
where  we  should  not  be  exposed  to  the  avalanches 
which  rumbled  in  every  direction. 

"  A  mysterious  twilight  partly  illumined  the  extensive 
cavern,  its  farthest  recesses,  however,  remaining  in  deep 
shadow.  We  could  hear  rivulets  trickling  and  drops 
of  water  falling  with  monotonous  slowness.  Never  had  I 
penetrated  into  a  place  of  such  savage  beauty.  In  the 
middle  of  the  cavern,  opposite  the  entrance,  was  a 
great  pillar  of  ice,  resembling  a  cataract  suddenly  frozen. 
Beyond  this  marvellous  block,  glittering  like  crystal, 
spread  a  stream  of  delicious  freshness.  When  we  had 
kindled  a  large  fire  with  branches  of  juniper,  accumulated 
by  the  hunter  who  most  frequented  the  retreat,  the  ice 
shone  with  a  myriad  diamond  tints  ;  everything  seemed 
to  assume  an  extraordinary  form  and  life.  The  fantas- 
tically carved  walls  of  rock  sparkled  with  capricious 
gleams.  From  the  sides  of  black  granite  hung  pendent 
icicles,  sometimes  slender  and  isolated,  sometimes  grouped 
in  fanciful  clusters.  In  the  hollows,  where  damp  and 
darkness  for  ever  reign,  climbed  a  bluish-grey  moss,  a 
melancholy  and  incomplete  manifestation  of  life  in  the 
bosom  of  this  deathlike  solitude.  Within,  the  whole 
scene  impressed  the  imagination  strongly,  while  without, 
but  close  beside  us,  resounded,  like  thunder,  the  ava- 
lanches which  scattered  their  ruins  over  our  heads,  or 
plunged  headlong  into  fathomless  gulfs. 


COUNTESS  DORA   D'ISTRIA.  yr 

"Some  white  heifer-skins  were  laid  down  under  a  block 
which  formed  a  kind  of  recess  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
grotto.  I  wrapped  myself  in  my  coverings  and  shawls, 
for  the  cold  increased  in  severity,  but  I  was  protected 
from  it  by  the  assiduous  care  of  my  good  guides,  who 
heaped  upon  me  all  their  furs  and  cloaks.  Then,  seated 
around  the  fire,  they  prepared  the  coffee  which  was  to 
serve  us  the  whole  night.  None  of  them  thought  of 
sleeping,  nor  felt  inclined  to  repress  their  natural  but 
modest  gaiety.  If  one  complained  that  his  limbs  were 
stiff,  the  others  immediately  cried  out  that  he  was  as 
delicate  as  a  woman,  and  that  we  had  no  cause  of  com- 
plaint while  sojourning  in  a  palace  grander  than  kings' 
palaces.  They  inscribed  my  name  upon  the  roof  near 
to  the  entrance. 

"  Two  of  the  guides  had  sallied  forth  to  clear  a  pathway 
and  cut  steps  in  the  snow,  for  there  would  be  some 
difficulty  in  getting  out  of  the  grotto.  On  their  return 
they  informed  us  that  we  might  rely  on  a  fine  day — 
words  which  were  welcomed  with  loud  applause.  After 
undergoing  so  much  fatigue,  it  was  natural  we  should 
desire  a  complete  success.  I  rejoiced  to  see  so  near 
me  the  immense  glaciers  and  lofty  peaks  of  the  Alps, 
the  image  of  which  had  often  haunted  my  happiest 
dreams.  Yet  I  felt  somewhat  uneasy  at  the  symptoms 
of  indisposition  which  would  not  be  concealed.  I 
experienced  slight  attacks  of  nausea,  and  a  depression 
which  I  sought  to  conquer  by  rising  abruptly  and 
giving  the  signal  of  departure.     I  was  forced  to  change 


38  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

my  boots,  for  those  I  had  worn  the  day  before  were  in 
shreds. 

"  About  three  o*clock  in  the  morning  we  took  leave  of 
the  hospitable  cavern,  but  it  was  not  without  difficulty 
we  crossed  the  precipices  which  frowned  before  us,  and 
for  the  first  time  had  to  employ  our  long  ladder.  We 
supported  it  against  the  side  of  a  chasm,  the  opposite  brink 
of  which  lay  several  hundred  feet  below.  We  descended 
backwards  the  close  and  narrow  steps,  strictly  forbidden 
to  cast  a  downward  glance.  Day  advanced  rapidly.  The 
masses  of  snow  which  rose  around  us  resembled  so  many 
mountains  piled  upon  other  mountains.  We  were  in 
the  heart  of  the  vast  solitudes  of  the  Eiger,  which 
seemed  astonished  by  the  echoes  of  our  steps.  We 
often  made  use  of  the  ladder.  By  the  third  time  I  had 
recovered  my  liberty  of  action,  and  no  longer  descen- 
ded backward,  but  contemplating  with  an  undefinable 
charm  the  gaping  gulfs  which  vanished  in  the  ob- 
scure recesses  of  the  glacier,  bluer  than  the  skies  of 
the  East. 

"  The  troop  soon  divided  into  two  sections.  We  wore 
blue  glasses  to  protect  our  eyes  from  the  dazzling 
brilliancy  of  the  snow,  which  every  moment  became  less 
compact.  Aimer  had  even  covered  his  face  with  a  green 
veil,  but  mine  I  found  inconvenient,  and  resolutely 
-exposed  my  skin  to  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun,  which 
were  reflected  from  the  glittering  frozen  surfaces,  though 
the  sun  itself  was  hidden  by  clouds.  The  fissures  in 
the  glacier  were  few  and  very  narrow,  and  we  employed 


COUNTESS  DORA   D'lSTRIA.  J9 

the  ladder  but  once  or  twice  in  the  immense  plain  of" 
powdery  snow  which,  towards  eight  o'clock,  opened  before 
us.  It  was  then  that  our  real  sufferings  began.  The 
heat  was  excessive ;  walking,  slow  and  very  difficult,  for 
at  each  step  we  sank  almost  to  our  knees.  Sometimes 
the  foot  could  find  no  bottom,  and  when  we  withdrew  it 
we  found  a  yawning  azure-tinted  crevasse.  The  guides 
called  such  places  mines,  and  feared  them  greatly.  The 
air  every  instant  grew  more  rarefied ;  my  mouth  was 
dry ;  I  suffered  from  thirst,  and  to  quench  it  swallowed 
morsels  of  snow  and  kirsch-wasser,  the  very  odour  of 
which  became  at  last  insupportable,  though  I  was  some- 
times compelled  to  drink  it  by  the  imperative  orders  of 
the  guides. 

"  It  had  taken  us  long  to  cross  the  region  of  springs 
and  torrents ;  not  so  long  to  traverse  that  in  which 
the  fissures  of  the  glacier  were  hidden  under  the 
snow ;  and  now  at  last  we  trod  the  eternal  and  spot- 
less shroud  of  the  frozen  desert.  I  breathed  with 
difficulty,  my  weakness  increased,  so  that  it  was  with  no 
small  pleasure  I  arrived  at  the  halting-place  marked  out 
by  our  foremost  party.  I  threw  myself,  exhausted,  but 
enchanted,  on  the  bed  of  snow  which  had  been  prepared 
for  me.  Avalanches  were  frequent.  Sometimes  they 
rolled  in  immense  blocks  with  a  sullen  roar  ;  sometimes 
whirlwinds  of  snow  fell  upon  us  like  showers  of  heavy 
hail.  To  our  great  alarm  the  mist  rose  on  all  sides 
so  that  we  often  lost  sight  of  those  of  our  party  who 
were  acting  as  pioneers.     After  leaving  the  plain  of  snow 


40  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

we  ascended  a  steep  and  difficult  incline.  The  guides 
had  hardly  strength  enough  to  clear  a  path,  so  rude  was 
the  acclivity  and  so  dense  the  snow. 

"  At  length,  about  ten  o'clock,  we  halted  on  a  platform 
which  stretched  to  the  base  of  the  Monch,  whose  ridge 
or  backbone  rose  before  our  eyes.  Here  a  small  grotto 
had  been  excavated  in  the  ice  in  which  I  was  bidden 
to  rest  myself,  thoroughly  well  wrapped  up.  We  were 
literally  on  the  brink  of  a  complete  collapse,  respiration 
failed  us,  and  for  some  minutes  I  expectorated  blood. 
However,  I  regretted  neither  my  fatigues,  nor  the 
resolution  which  had  carried  me  to  this  point.  All  that 
I  feared  was  that  I  should  not  be  able  to  go  farther. 
The  very  air  which  I  endured  so  badly  was  an  object  of 
interest  and  study  on  account  of  its  extraordinary  purity. 
One  of  the  guides,  having  brought  from  the  grotto  a 
few  juniper  branches,  kindled  a  fire  and  melted  some 
snow,  which  we  drank  with  eagerness.  I  then  remarked 
that  they  had  collected  in  a  group  at  some  distance 
apart,  and  were  conversing  in  a  low  tone  and  with 
anxious  faces.  The  Jungfrau  had  been  indicated  as  the 
goal  of  our  enterprise,  and  their  apprehensive  glances 
were  turned  towards  that  mountain,  which  rose  on  our 
left,  shrouded  in  dense  fogs.  I  felt  a  vague  fear  that 
they  wished  to  interpose  some  obstacle  to  the  complete 
realization  of  my  projects ;  and,  in  fact,  they  soon  came  to 
tell  me  that  it  would  not  be  possible  to  cHmb  the  Jung- 
frau that  day ;  that  there  was  still  a  long  march  to  be 
made   before   we   could   reach   its  base,    which,  by  as 


COUNTESS  DORA   D I  STRIA.  41 

optical  illusion,  seemed  so  near  to  us ;  and  that  from 
thence  to  the  summit  would  be  at  least  another  three 
hours'  climb. 

"  It  seemed  scarcely  practicable  to  pass  the  night  on 
the  snow  at  so  great  an  elevation,  where  the  effort  of 
breathing  was  a  pain,  and  the  icy  cold  threatened  to 
freeze  our  aching  limbs,  and,  besides,  the  guides  were 
unanimous  in  predicting  a  violent  storm  in  the  evening. 
•And  then,'  said  they,  'what  shall  we  do  without 
shelter,  without  coverings,  without  fire,  without  any  hot 
drink  (for  our  supply  of  coffee  was  exhausted),  in  the 
midst  of  this  ice  ? '  I  knew  in  my  heart  they  were 
right,  but  I  was  keenly  disappointed  at  failing  to  reach 
the  goal  when  it  seemed  so  near.  As  I  could  not  make 
up  my  mind  to  adopt  their  opinion.  Aimer  rose,  and 
laying  the  ladder  at  my  feet,  said,  with  much  energy, 
*  Adieu,  I  leave  you,  for  my  conscience  as  an  honest 
man  forbids  me  to  lend  a  hand  to  a  peril  which  1 
know  to  be  inevitable.' 

"  I  called  him  back,  and  rising  in  my  turn,  exclaimed  : 
*Will  the  difficulties  be  as  great  in  the  way  of  an 
ascent  of  the  Monch  ?  There  it  is,  only  a  few  paces 
from  us.  It  is  free  from  mist,  why  should  we  not  reach 
its  summit?'  At  these  words  the  astonishment  was 
general,  and  everybody  turned  towards  the  peak  I  had 
named.  The  snow  upon  it  seemed  quite  solid,  and  I 
thought  it  would  be  impossible  to  find  there  anything 
more  dangerous  than  we  had  already  experienced.  Their 
hesitation  surprised   me.     'Are  you  aware,'  said  they, 

3 


42  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

*  that    yonder   mountain   has   never    been    ascended  ?  * 

*  So  much  the  better,'  said  I,  '  we  will  baptize  it ! '  And, 
forgetting  in  a  moment  my  weariness,  I  started  off  with  a 
firm  step.  Pierre  Jaun  and  Pierre  Bohren,  seeing  me  so 
resolved,  seized  our  flag,  set  out  in  advance,  and  never 
rested  till  they  had  planted  it  on  the  loftiest  summit  of 
the  Monch,  before  the  rest  of  us  could  get  up.  The  flag 
vas  of  three  colours,  white,  yellow,  and  blue,  and  bore 
the  beloved  name  of  *  Wallachia,'  embroidered  in  large 
letters.  As  if  Heaven  favoured  our  wishes,  while  clouds 
rolled  upon  all  the  surrounding  mountains,  they  left  free 
and  clear  the  peak  of  the  Monch. 

"  Though  the  acclivity  was  much  steeper  than  that  of 
the  Eiger,  we  did  not  find  the  difticulties  much  greater. 
The  snow  was  hard,  and  as  we  did  not  sink  far  into  it, 
our  march  was  less  fatiguing.  We  held  to  one  another 
so  as  to  form  a  chain,  and  advanced  zigzag,  fired  with 
impatience  to  reach  the  summit.  All  around  us  I  saw 
deep  beds  of  snow,  but  nowhere  such  blocks  of  ice  as 
M.  Deser  found  upon  the  crest  of  the  Jungfrau.  It  is 
probable  that,  owing  to  the  season,  the  Monch  was  still 
buried  under  the  accumulated  snows  of  winter,  and  this 
circumstance  greatly  contributed  to  our  success. 

"The  image  of  the  Infinite  presented  itself  to  my  mind 
in  all  its  formidable  grandeur.  My  heart,  oppressed,  felt 
its  influence,  as  my  gaze  rested  upon  the  Swiss  plain 
half  hidden  in  the  mists  of  the  surrounding  mountains, 
which  were  bathed  in  golden  vapours.  I  was  filled  with 
5iich  a  sense  of  God  that  my  heart — so  it  seemed  to 


COUNTESS  DORA   UISTRIA.  45 

me — was  not  large  enough  to  contain  it.  I  belonged 
wholly  to  Him.  From  that  moment  my  soul  was  lost 
in  the  thought  of  His  incomprehensible  power. 

"  But  the  time  had  come  for  our  departure,  and  I  must 
take  leave  of  the  mountain  where  I  was  so  far  from  men  ! 
I  embraced  the  flag,  and  at  three  o'clock  we  began  our 
homeward  march.  With  much  toil  and  trouble  we 
-descended  the  declivities  of  the  Monch.  We  were 
obliged  to  lend  each  other  more  assistance  than  in 
ascending,  and  more  than  once  we  nearly  fell  into  the 
abysses.  But  as  soon  as  we  regained  the  Eiger,  we  swept 
forward  as  rapidly  as  the  avalanche  which  knows  no 
obstacles,  as  the  torrent  which  carves  out  its  own 
<:hannel,  as  the  bird  which  on  mighty  pinions  cleaves 
space.  Seated  on  the  snow,  we  allowed  ourselves  to 
slide  easily  down  those  steeps  which  we  had  so  painfully 
climbed,  even  to  the  very  brink  of  the  precipices,  which 
we  had  crossed  on  a  ladder  instead  of  bridge.  We 
observed  that  the  gulfs  yawned  wide  which  in  the 
morning  we  had  crossed  upon  the  snow  that  covered 
them ;  for  the  aspect  of  these  mountains  changes  with  a 
truly  extraordinary  rapidity.  Song  and  laughter  soon 
broke  forth  again,  provoked  by  our  strange  fashion  of 
travelling.  Great  was  our  joy  when  we  found  ourselves 
once  more  in  an  atmosphere  favourable  to  the  life  of 
vegetation,  and  all  of  us  rushed  headlong  to  the  first 
brook,  whose  murmur  sounded  as  sweet  to  us  as  the 
roice  of  a  friend. 

"  But  as  soon  a^  we  reached  the  rocks  free  from  snow. 


44  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

our  troubles  recommenced ;  difficulties  reappeared,  and 
were  even  more  serious  than  those  we  had  met  with  in 
our  ascent.  The  peril  was  extreme;  and  but  for  the 
courageous  Pierre  Bohren,  who  carried  me  rather  than 
supported  me,  I  could  never  have  descended  the  bare 
rocks  that  skirt  the  edge  of  the  glacier.  When  we  struck 
the  Mer  de  Glace,  we  fell  in  with  so  many  gaping  fissures 
that  we  could  cross  them  only  by  hazardous  leaps  and 
bounds.  We  had  not  reached  the  other  side  before  we 
were  met  by  our  porters  with  the  sedan-chair ;  and  we 
arrived  singing  and  cheering  at  Grindelvvald,  where  every-^ 
body  eyed  us  with  as  much  wonder  as  if  we  had  risen 
from  the  dead.  I  asked  for  some  citrons,  which  I 
devoured  while  changing  my  clothes.  Though  completely 
knocked  up,  I  set  out  immediately  for  Interlachen,  to 
reassure  those  who  were  awaiting  me  there.  At  the  foot 
of  the  Grindelwald  hill,  I  stopped  at  Pierre  Bohren's 
chalet  to  pay  a  visit  to  his  wife,  who  held  in  her  arms  an 
infant  only  a  few  days  old.  I  embraced  it  and  promised 
to  be  its  godmother. 

"About  midway  between  Grindelwald  and  Interlachen^ 
we  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  as  violent  as  that  which 
had  heralded  our  departure. 

"  The  guide§,  therefore,  had  made  no  mistake.  We 
should  have  experienced  this  tempest  among  the  loftiest 
summits  of  the  Alps,  if  we  had  continued  our  excursion. 

"  When  I  rose  next  morning,  my  face  was  one  great 
wound,  and  for  a  long  time  I  endured  the  keenest 
sufferings.     Not  less  fatigued  than  myself,  the  guides  at 


COUNTESS  DORA   LTI STRIA.  45 

length  arrived  singing,  and  brought  me  a  superb  diploma 
upon  official  paper."* 

The  princess  afterwards  travelled  in  Greece,  where  she 
received  an  enthusiastic  welcome,  and  ovations  were 
offered  to  her  as  to  a  sovereign.  Everybody  did  homage 
to  the  bright  and  generous  author  of  *'  La  Nationality 
Hellenique," — the  liberal  and  zealous  advocate  of  the 
rights,  the  manners,  the  character,  and  the  future  of 
Greece.  But  of  nationalities  she  was  always  the 
defender,  and  her  wide  sympathies  embraced  not  only 
the  Greeks,  but  the  Albanians  and  the  Slavs. 

After  having  studied  the  antiquities  of  Athens,  under- 
taken sundry  scientific  and  archaeological  excursions  into 
Attica,  and  enjoyed  a  delightful  intercourse  at  Athens 
with  kindred  spirits —  such  as  Frederika  Bremer — she 
traversed  the  nomarchies,  or  provinces,  of  the  kingdom 
of  Greece,  with  the  view  of  obtaining  an  exact  and 
comprehensive  account  of  the  moral  and  material  con- 
dition of  the  rural  population. 

As  M.  Pommier  remarks,  this  long  excursion  in  a 
country  which  offers  no  facilities  to  travellers,  and  where 
one  must  always  be  on  horseback,  could  not  be  accom- 
plished without  displaying  a  courage  unexampled,  an 
heroic  perseverance,  and  a  physical  and  moral  strength 
equal  to  every  trial.     She  had  to  undergo  the  strain  of 

*  See  the  princess's  "La  Suisse  Allemandc  et  I'Ascension  du 
Monch."     4  vols..   1856. 


46  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

daily  fatigue  and  the  heat  of  a  scorching  sun ;  to  fear 
neither  barren  rocks,  nor  precipices,  nor  dangerous 
pathways,  nor  brigands.  In  spite  of  the  counsels  of 
prudence  and  of  a  timorous  affection,  the  intrepid 
traveller  would  not  omit  any  portion  of  her  itinerary  ; 
she  traversed  successively  into  Boeotia,  Phocis,  ^tolia, 
and  the  Peloponnesus.  When  the  mountaineers  ot 
Laconia  saw  her  passing  on  horseback  through  the  savage 
gorges,  they  cried  out  in  their  enthusiasm,  "  Here  is 
a  Spartan  woman  !  "  And  they  invited  her  to  put  herself 
at  their  head  and  lead  them  to  Constantinople. 

From  Greece  she  went  into  Italy,  in  1861,  and  took 
up  her  residence,  where  she  has  ever  since  remained, 
at  Florence.  Garibaldi  has  saluted  as  his  sister  this 
ardent  champion  of  the  rights  of  nationalities,  who,  to 
this  day,  has  continued  her  philanthropic  exertions. 
In  1867,  she  published  *'La  Nazionalitk  Albanese 
secondo  i  Canti  popolari;"  in  1869,  '*  Discours  sur 
Marco  Polo;"  in  1870,  "Venise  en  1867;"  in  1871- 
1^73)  "Gli  Albanesi  in  Rumenia,"  a  history  of  the 
princely  family  of  the  Ghikas  from  the  17th  century; 
in  1871,  a  couple  of  novels,  "Eleanora  de  Hallingen," 
and  "Ghizlaine;"  in  1877,  "La  Podsie  des  Ottomans  ;" 
and  in  1878,  "The  Condition  of  Women  among  the 
Southern  Slavs." 

The  princess,  besides  plunging  into  historical  labours, 
sedulously  cultivates  the  Fine  Arts,  and  is  moreover  a 
first-rate  pistol-shot.  A  true  Albanian,  she  loves  arms, 
and  handles  them  skilfully. 


COUNTESS  DORA   D'lSTRIA,  47 

It  cannot  be  denied,  that  she  deserves  her  splendid 
reputation.  Any  one  of  her  works,  says  a  French  critic, 
would  make  a  man  famous;  and  they  are  unquestion- 
ably marked  by  all  the  characteristics  of  an  indepen- 
dent and  observant  mind.  But  it  is  her  life  that  best 
justifies  her  renown — her  life  with  its  purity,  its 
enthusiasm,  its  zeal  for  the  oppressed,  its  intense  love 
of  knowledge,  its  vivid  sympathies  and  broad  charities, 
and  its  constant  striving  after  truth  and  freedom*  and 
the  hignesi  beauty. 


^^mmm^^ 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO. 

A  FRENCH  writer  observes,  that  in  an  age  like  ours, 
when  firm  convictions  and  settled  beliefs  are 
rare,  it  is  no  small  satisfaction  to  have  to  record  a  career 
like  that  of  the  Princess  of  Belgiojoso — a  career  specially 
illustrious,  because,  above  all  things,  honourable.  But 
truly  great  minds,  to  paraphrase  some  words  of  Georges 
Sand,  are  always  good  minds. 

The  princess's  chief  titles  to  distinction  are  as  a 
vigorous  writer  and  a  liberal  thinker  ;  she  did  not  qualify 
herself  for  a  place  among  great  female  travellers  until 
unhappy  events  exiled  her  from  liCf  country. 

Christina  Trivulzia,  Princesa  of  Belgiojoso,  was  born  on 
the  28th  of  June,  1808.  At  the  early  age  of  sixteen  she 
was  married  to  the  Prince  Emile  de  Barbian  de  Belgio- 
joso.    She  died  in  187 1. 

Passionately  devoted  to  the  cause  of  a  **  free  Italy," 
she  was  unable  to  live  under  the  heavy  yoke  of  the 
Austrian  supremacy,  and  hastened  to  establish  herself 
at  Paris,  where  her  rank,  her  fortune,  her  love  of  letter* 


THE  PRINCESS   OF  BELGIOJOSO.  xc, 

^nd  the  arts,  and  the  boldness  of  her  political  opinions, 
made  her  the  attraction  of  the  highest  society.  She 
formed  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  numerous  great 
writers  and  celebrated  statesmen,  particularly  of  Mignet 
and  Augiistin  Thierry,  whose  daily  diminishing  liberal- 
ism she  rapidly  and  boldly  outstripped.  In  1848  she 
plunged  with  all  the  ardour  of  an  enthusiastic  nature 
— a  child  of  the  warm  South — into  that  wild  revolu- 
tionary movement  which  swept  over  almost  every 
•country  in  Europe,  rolling  from  the  Alps  to  the 
Carpathians,  from  Paris  to  Berlin.  She  hastened  to 
Milan,  which  had  expelled  its  Austrian  garrison,  and  at 
her  own  expense  equipped  two  hundred  horse,  whom  she 
led  against  the  enemy.  But  Italy  was  not  then  united  ; 
•she  was  not  strong  enough  to  encounter  her  oppressor ; 
the  bayonets  of  Radetzky  re-imposed  the  Austrian 
•domination ;  the  princess  was  compelled  to  fly,  and 
her  estates  were  confiscated. 

During  the  insurrectionary  fever  at  Rome,  in  1849, 
•she  fearlessly  made  her  way  into  the  very  midst  of  the 
fighting- men,  and  in  her  own  person  directed  the 
ambulances.  Her  love  of  freedom  and  her  humanity 
were  rewarded  by  banishment  from  the  territories  of  the 
Church.  As  she  could  nowhere  in  Italy  hope  for  a  secure 
resting-place,  she  resolved  to  reside  for  the  future  in  the 
East,  and,  repairing  to  Constantinople,  she  founded 
there  a  benevolent  institution  for  the  daughters  of 
emigrants. 

But  in  a  short  time  she  withdrew  from  European  Turkey, 


50  IVOMAJV  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

and  at  Osmandjik,  near  Sinope,  laid  the  foundations  of  » 
model  farm.  In  1850  she  published  in  a  French  journal, 
the  National^  her  memorials  of  Veile ;  and  as  a  relief  to  the 
stir  and  unrest  of  politics,  she  wrote,  in  the  following 
year,  her  "  Notions  d'Histoire  k  I'usage  des  Enfants  " 
(185 1).  The  narrative  of  her  journey  in  Asia  Minor 
appeared  at  a  later  date  in  the  well-known  pages  of  tlie 
Revue  des  deux  Mondes. 

Having  recovered  possession  of  her  estates,  thanks  to- 
the  amnesty  proclaimed  by  the  Emperor  Francis  Joseph, 
she  sought  in  literary  labour  a  field  for  the  activity  of 
her  restless  intellect.  Balzac  points  to  that  great  female 
artist  and  republican,  the  Duchess  of  San-Severins,  in. 
Stendhal's  "La  Chartreuse  de  Parme,"  as  a  portrait  of  the- 
princess.  Whether  this  be  so  or  not,  she  was  assuredly 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  and  original  figures  of  the 
time. 

Her  chief  title  to  literary  reputation  rests  upon. her 
"  Etudes  sur  TAsie-Mineure  et  sur  les  Turcs."  In 
reference  to  these  luminous  and  eloquent  sketches,  a 
critic  says :  "  I  have  read  many  works  descriptive  of  Mussul- 
man manners,  but  have  never  met  with  one  which  gave 
so  exact  and  full  an  idea  of  Oriental  life."  But  in  the 
princess's  writings  we  must  not  seek  for  those  richly 
coloured  pictures,  those  highly  decorative  paintings  io 
which  style  plays  the  principal  part — pictures  composed 
for  effect,  and  entirely  indifferent  to  accuracy  of  detail 
or  truth  of  composition.  She  never  seeks  to  dazzle  or 
beguile  the  reader ;  her  language  is  direct  and  vigorous 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO.  51 

and   full   of  vitality   because   it   always   embodies    the 
truth. 

No  one  has  shown  a  juster  appreciation  of  that 
strange  Eastern  institution,  the  harem,  though  it  is  no 
easy  thing  to  form  a  clear  and  impartial  judgment  upon 
a  system  so  alien  to  Western  ideas  and  revolting  to- 
Christian  morality.  A  vast  amount  of  unprofitable 
rhetoric  has  been  expended  upon  this  subject  Let  us 
turn  to  the  princess's  discriminative  statement  of  facts. 

After  explaining  the  many  points  of  contrast  between 
the  people  of  the  East  and  the  people  of  the  West,  she 
continues  : — 

"  Of  all  the  virtues  held  in  repute  by  Christian  society, 
hospitality  is  the  only  one  which  the  Mussulmans  think 
themselves  bound  to  practise.  Where  duties  are  few,  it  is 
natural  they  should  be  greatly  respected.  The  Orientals, 
therefore,  have  recognized  in  its  highest  form  this  sole 
and  unique  virtue,  this  solitary  constraint  which  they 
have  agreed  to  impose  upon  themselves. 

"Unfortunately,  every  virtue  which  is  content  with 
appearances  is  subject  to  sudden  changes.  This  is 
what  has  happened — is  happening  to-day — in  respect 
of  Oriental  hospitality.  A  Mussulman  will  never  be  con- 
soled for  having  failed  to  observe  the  laws  of  hospitality. 
Take  possession  of  his  house  ;  turn  him  out  of  it ;  leave 
him  to  stand  in  the  rain  or  sun  at  his  own  door ;  plunder 
his  store-rooms;  use  up  his  supplies  of  coffee  and  brandy; 
upset  and  pile  one  upon  another  his  carpets,  his  mattresses, 
his  cushions ;  break  his  crystal ;  ride  his  horses,  and  even 


5?  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

founder  them  if  it  seems  good  to  you — he  will  not 
utter  a  word  of  reproach,  for  you  are  a  monzapi^  a  guest, 
— it  is  Allah  himself  who  has  sent  you,  and  whatever 
you  do,  you  are  and  will  ever  be  welcome.  All  this  is 
admirable;  but  if  a  Mussulman  finds  the  means  of 
appearing  as  hospitable  as  laws  and  customs  require, 
without  sacrificing  an  obolus,  or  even  while  gaining  a 
large  sum  of  money,  fie  upon  virtue,  and  long  live  hypo- 
crisy !  And  such  is  the  case  ninety-nine  times  out  of  a 
hundred.  Your  host  overwhelms  you  while  you  sojourn 
beneath  his  roof ;  but  if  at  your  departure  you  do  not 
pay  him  twenty  times  the  value  of  what  he  has  given  you, 
he  will  wait  until  you  have  crossed  his  threshold,  and 
consequently  doffed  your  sacred  title  of  vionzapi,  to 
throw  stones  at  you. 

"  It  goes  without  saying  that  I  speak  of  the  rude  multi- 
tude, and  not  of  the  simple  honest  hearts  who  love  the 
good  because  they  find  it  pleasant,  and  practise  it  be- 
cause in  practising  it  they  taste  a  secret  enjoyment.  My 
old  mufti  of  a  Tcherkess  is  one  of  these.  His  house,  like 
all  good  houses  in  Eastern  countries,  consists  of  an  inner 
division  reserved  for  women  and  children,  and  an  outer 
pavilion,  containing  a  summer-saloon,  and  a  winter-saloon, 
with  one  or  two  rooms  for  servants.  The  winter-saloon 
is  a  pretty  apartment  heated  by  a  good  stove,  covered 
with  thick  carpets,  and  passably  furnished  with  silken  and 
woollen  divans  arranged  all  round  the  apartment. 

"  As  for  the  furniture  of  the  summer-saloon,  it  consists 
of  a  leaping,  shining  fountain  in  the   centre,  to  which 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO.  53 

are  added,  when  circumstances  require  it,  cushions 
and  mattresses  on  which  to  sit  or  recline.  There  are 
neither  windows,  nor  doors,  nor  any  kind  of  barrier, 
between  the  exterior  and  the  interior.  My  old  mufti, 
who,  at  the  age  of  ninety,  possesses  numerous  wives, 
the  oldest  of  whom  is  only  thirty,  and  children  of  all 
ages,  from  the  baby  of  six  months,  up  to  the  sexa- 
genarian, professes  the  repugnance  of  good  taste  for  the 
noise,  disorder,  and  uncleanness  of  the  harem.  He  re- 
pairs there  every  day,  as  he  goes  to  his  stable  to  see  and 
admire  his  horses ;  but  he  dwells  and  he  sleeps,  accord- 
ing to  the  season,  in  one  or  other  of  the  saloons.  The 
good  fellow  understood  that  if  long  habit  had  not  ren 
dered  the  inconveniences  of  the  harem  tolerable  to  him- 
self, it  would  be  still  worse  for  me,  freshly  disembarked 
from  that  land  of  enchantments  and  refinements  which 
men  here  call  *  Franguistan.'  So  at  the  outset  he 
informed  me  that  he  would  not  relegate  me  to  that 
region  of  obscurity  and  confusion,  smoke  and  infection, 
named  the  harem,  but  would  give  up  to  me  his  own  apart- 
ment. I  accepted  it  with  gratitude.  As  for  himself,  he 
took  up  his  abode  in  the  summer-saloon.  Though  it  was 
the  end  of  January,  and  snow  was  deep  on  the  ground, 
both  in  town  and  country,  he  preferred  his  frozen 
fountain,  his  damp  pavement  and  draughts  of  air,  to 
the  hot,  but  unwholesome,  atmosphere  of  the  harem. 

"  Perhaps  I  destroy  a  few  illusions,  in  speaking  of  the 
harem  with  so  little  respect.  We  have  all  read  of  it 
in  '  The  Thousand  and  One  Nights,'  and  other  Orienta) 


54  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

•stories ;  we  have  been  told  that  it  is  the  dwelling-place 
of  Love  and  Beauty;  we  are  authorized  to  believe  that 
the  written  descriptions,  though  exaggerated  and  em- 
bellished, are  nevertheless  founded  upon  reality,  and 
that  in  this  mysterious  retreat  are  to  be  found  all 
the  marvels  of  luxury,  art,  magnificence  and  pleasure. 
How  far  from  the  truth !  Picture  to  yourself  walls 
black  and  full  of  chinks,  wooden  ceilings,  split  in 
many  places  and  dark  with  dust  and  spiders'  webs, 
sofas  torn  and  greasy,  door-hangings  in  tatters,  traces 
•of  oil  and  candle-grease  everywhere.  When  for  the 
■first  time  I  set  foot  in  one  of  these  supposed  charming 
nooks,  I  was  shocked  \  but  the  mistresses  of  the  house 
detected  nothing.  Their  persons  are  in  harmony 
•with  the  surroundings.  Mirrors  being  very  rare,  the 
women  bedizen  themselves  with  tinsel,  the  bizarre  effect 
»of  which  they  have  no  means  of  appreciating. 

'They  stick  a  number  of  diamond  pins  and  other 
precious  stones  in  the  handkerchiefs  of  printed  cotton 
which  they  twist  around  their  head.  To  their  hair 
they  pay  no  attention,  and  none  but  the  great  ladies 
•who  have  resided  in  the  capital  have  any  combs.  As 
for  the  many-coloured  ointment  which  they  use  so 
immoderately,  they  can  regulate  its  application  oniy 
fby  consulting  one  another,  and  as  the  women  occupying 
the  same  house  are  all  rivals,  they  willingly  encourage 
--one  another  in  the  most  grotesque  daubs  of  colouring. 
They  put  vermilion  on  the  lips,  rouge  on  the  cheeks, 
mose,   forehead   and    chin,   white    anywhere    to    fill    up, 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO.  55 

<)lue  round  the  eyes  and  under  the  nose.  But  strangest 
of  all  is  the  manner  in  which  they  tint  the  eyebrows. 
They  have  undoubtedly  been  told  that,  to  be  beautiful, 
the  eyebrow  should  form  a  well-defined  arch,  and  hence 
they  have  concluded  that  the  greater  the  arch  the  greater 
will  be  the  beauty,  without  asking  if  the  place  of  that 
arch  were  not  irrevocably  fixed  by  nature.  Such  being 
the  case,  they  give  up  to  their  eyebrows  the  whole  space 
between  the  temples,  and  paint  the  forehead  with  two 
•wide  arches,  which,  starting  from  the  origin  of  the  nose, 
■extend,  one  on  each  side,  as  far  as  the  temple.  Some 
eccentric  beauties  prefer  the  straight  line  to  the  curve, 
and  describe  a  great  streak  of  black  all  across  the  fore- 
■head  ;   but  they  are  few  in  number. 

"  Most  deplorable  is  the  influence  of  this  painting  when 
•combined  with  the  sloth  and  uncleanness  natural  to  the 
women  of  the  East  Each  feminine  countenance  is  a 
work  of  high  art  that  cannot  be  reconstructed  every 
■morning.  It  is  the  same  with  the  hands  and  feet,  which, 
variegated  with  orange,  fear  the  action  of  water  as 
injurious  to  their  beauty.  The  multitude  of  children 
and  servants,  especially  of  negresses,  who  people  the 
harems,  and  the  footing  of  equality  on  which  mistresses 
and  attendants  live,  are  also  aggravating  causes  of  the 
general  uncleanliness.  I  shall  not  speak  of  the  children — 
everybody  knows  their  manners  and  customs — but  con- 
sider for  a  moment  what  would  become  of  our  pretty 
European  furniture  if  our  cooks  and  maids-of-all-work 
r,*rted  from  their  labours  on  our  settees  and  fauteuils. 


5-5  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

with  their  feet  on  our  carpets,  and  their  back  against 
our  hangings.  Remember,  too,  that  glass  windows  in 
Asia  are  still  but  curiosities ;  that  most  of  the  windows 
are  filled  up  with  oiled  paper,  and  that  where  corn- 
paper  is  scarce  the  windows  are  blocked  up,  and  light 
enters  only  by  the  chimney — light  more  than  sufficient 
for  the  inmates  to  drink  and  smoke  by  and  to  apply 
the  whip  to  refractory  children — the  only  occupations 
during  the  day  of  the  mortal  houris  of  faithful  Mussul- 
mans. Let  not  the  reader  suppose,  however,  that  an 
Egyptian  darkness  prevails  in  these  windowless  apart- 
ments. The  houses  being  all  of  one  story,  the  chimneys 
being  very  wide  and  not  rising  above  the  level  of  the 
roof,  it  often  happens  that  by  stooping  a  little  in  front 
of  the  chimney-place  you  see  the  sky  through  the 
openmg.  What  these  apartments  are  really  deficient 
in  is  air ;  but  the  ladies  are  far  from  making  any 
complaint.  Naturally  chilly,  and  having  no  means  of 
warming  themselves  by  exercise,  they  remain  for  hours 
at  a  time  huddled  on  the  ground  before  the  fire,  and 
cannot  understand  that  a  visitor  is  almost  choked  by 
the  atmosphere.  If  anything  recalls  to  my  mind  these- 
artificial  caverns,  crowded  with  tattered  women  and  noisy 
children,  I  feel  ready  to  faint." 

The  princess  does  not,  on  the  whole,  speak  un- 
favourably of  the  Turkish  character.  Perhaps  the 
reader  would  judge  it  more  severely;  but  still  the 
consensus    of    the   best   authorities  supports   the   view 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO.  57 

taken  by  the  princess,  and  it  is  the  governing-class,  rather 
than  the  masses,  that  seems  to  justify  the  general  dislike. 
Of  Turkish  officials  it  would  be  difficult,  perhaps,  to 
say  anything  too  severe;  the  ordinary  Turk,  however, 
has  many  good  qualities,  which  need  only  the  stimulus 
of  good  government  for  their  happy  development.  As 
to  the  governing-class,  their  vices  are  the  natural  result 
of  the  corruption  of  the  harems,  and  until  these  are 
reformed,  it  is  useless  to  expect  any  elevation  of  the 
low  moral  standard  which  now  unfortunately  prevails 
among  the  pashas. 

The  Turkish  people,  if  less  enlightened  than  other 
European  nations,  are  not  without  qualities  that  demand 
recognition.  They  are  temperate,  hospitable,  and 
orderly.     They  are  faithful  husbands  and  good  wives. 

The  Turkish  peasant  is  at  once  father,  husband,  and 
lover  to  his  wife,  whom  he  never  contradicts  willingly 
and  knowingly,  and  there  is  little  to  which  he  will  not 
submit  in  the  depth  of  his  affection  for  her. 

In  these  climates,  and  under  the  influence  of  coarse 
and  unwholesome  food,  the  woman  ages  early ;  whereas 
the  man,  better  constituted  to  endure  fatigue  and 
privation,  preserves  his  vigour  almost  to  the  last  un- 
impaired. Nothing  is  more  common  here  than  to  see 
an  old  man  of  eighty  and  odd  surrounded  by  little 
children  who  are  his  flesh  and  bone.  In  spite  of  this 
disproportion  between  man  and  woman,  the  union, 
contracted  almost  in  childhood,  is  only  dissolved  by 
death.     The  Princess  de  Belgiojoso  tells  us  that  she  has 

4 


58  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER 

seen  hideous,  decrepit,  and  infirm  women  tenderly  cared 
for  and  adored  by  handsome  old  men,  straight  as 
the  mountain  pine,  with  beard  silvered  but  long  and 
thick,  and  eyes  bright,  clear,  and  serene. 

One  day,  our  traveller  met  an  old  woman,  blind  and 
paralytic,  whom  her  husband  brought  to  her  in  the  hope 
that  the  princess  would  restore  her  sight  and  power  of 
movement. 

The  woman  was  seated  astride  an  ass,  which  her 
husband  led  by  the  bridle.  On  arriving,  he  took  her  in 
his  arms,  deposited  her  on  a  bench  near  the  door,  and 
installed  her  on  a  heap  of  cushions  with  all  the  solicitude 
of  a  mother  for  her  child. 

"  You  ought  to  be  very  fond  of  your  husband,"  said 
the  princess  to  the  blind  woman. 

"  I  should  like  to  be  able  to  see  clearly,"  answered 
she.  The  princess  looked  at  the  husband,  he  smiled 
sadly,  but  without  any  shadow  of  ill-will. 

"Poor  woman,"  he  remarked,  passing  the  back  of 
his  hand  over  his  eyes,  "her  blindness  renders  her 
very  unhappy.  She  cannot  accustom  herself  to  it 
But  you  will  give  her  back  her  sight,  will  you  not, 
Bessadee  ?  " 

As  the  Princess  Christina  shook  her  head,  and  began 
to  protest  her  powerlessness,  he  plucked  the  skirt  of  her 
robe  and  made  her  a  sign  to  be  silent. 

"  Have  you  any  children  ?" 

**  Alas  !  I  had  one,  but  he  died  a  long  time  ago." 

•*  And  how  is  it  you  have  not  taken  another  wife,  as 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO,  59 

your  law  allows— a  strong  and  healthy  woman  who  might 
have  brought  you  children?" 

"  Ah,  that  is  easily  said ;  but  this  poor  creature  would 
have  been  sadly  vexed,  and  then  I  could  not  have  been 
happy  with  another,  not  even  if  she  had  brought  me 
children.  You  see,  Bessad^e,  we  cannot  have  everything 
in  this  world.  I  have  a  wife  whom  I  have  loved  for 
nearly  forty  years,  and  I  shall  make  no  second  choice." 

The  man  who  spoke  thus  was  a  Turk.  His  wife  was 
as  much  his  property  as  a  piece  of  furniture ;  none  of 
his  neighbours  would  have  blamed,  no  law  would  have 
punished  him,  if  he  had  got  rid  by  any  violent  means 
of  his  useless  burden.  Happily,  the  character  of  the 
Turkish  people  neutralizes  much  of  what  is  pernicious 
and  odious  in  their  customs  and  creed.  They  possess 
at  bottom  a  wonderful  quality  of  goodness,  of  gentleness, 
of  simplicity,  a  remarkable  instinct  of  reverence  for  that 
which  is  good  and  beautiful,  of  respect  for  that  which  is 
weak.  This  instinct  has  resisted,  and  will,  let  us  hope, 
continue  to  resist,  the  influence  of  injurious  institutions 
founded  exclusively  upon  individual  selfishness  and  the 
right  of  the  strong  hand.  If  you  would  understand  the 
mildness  and  the  serenity  which  are  natural  to  the  Turk, 
you  must  observe  the  peasant  among  his  fields,  or  at  the 
market,  or  on  the  threshold  of  a  cafe.  Seedtime  and 
harvest,  the  price  of  grain,  the  condition  of  his  family — 
these  are  the  invariable  topics  of  his  simple  childlike 
conversation.  He  never  raises  his  voice  in  anger,  never 
lets  drop  a  pleasantry  which  might  wound  or  even  fatigue 


6o  h'oman  as  a  traveller. 

his  companions,  never  indulges  in  those  profanities 
and  indecencies  unhappily  too  common  in  the  speech  of 
the  lower  orders  in  European  countries.  This  admirable 
reticence,  this  nobility  and  simplicity  of  manner,  do  they 
owe  it  to  education  ?  Not  at  all ;  it  is  the  gift  of  nature. 
In  some  respects  nature  has  been  very  liberal  to  the 
Turkish  people ;  but  all  the  gifts  she  has  bestowed  upon 
them,  their  institutions  tend  to  debase  and  invalidate. 
And  in  proportion  as  we  carry  our  observations  above 
the  classes  which  so  happily  preserve  their  primitive 
characteristics,  to  the  bourgeoisie^  or  into  regions 
higher  still,  so  shall  we  find  the  growth  and  develop- 
ment of  vice ;  it  extends,  predominates,  and  finally  reigns 
alone. 

The  peculiar  interest  and  permanent  value  of  the 
writings  of  the  Princess  de  Belgiojoso  are  due  to  the  fact 
that  they  owe  nothing  to  received  ideas.  Moreover,  she 
indulges  in  no  conjectures  regarding  the  subjects  she  takes 
up,  she  has  investigated  them  carefully,  and  understands 
them  thoroughly.  In  each  page  of  her  work  upon  Turkey 
we  meet  with  calm  statements  of  established  facts  which 
overthrow  the  speculations  and  fancies  too  often  found  in 
works  of  great  popularity  from  the  pen  of  distinguished 
writers.  It  is  the  truth  she  speaks ;  and  her  influence 
is  all  the  greater  because  she  makes  no  effort  to 
convince  or  impose  upon  her  readers;  she  writes 
gravely  and  deliberately,  without  passion  and  without 
imagination. 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  EELGIOJOSO.  61 

A  few  facts  from  the  princess's  pages  will  not  be 
without  interest  for  the  reader,  at  a  time  when  "the 
unspeakable  Turk "  is  the  object  of  so  much  public 
discussion. 

"Passing  through  one  of  the  streets  of  Pera  (the 
European  suburb),  I  was  arrested  by  a  score  of  persons 
grouped  round  a  gavas  (a  kind  of  civic  guard)  who  was 
endeavouring  to  persuade  a  negress  to  be  conducted 
to  the  palace  where  she  was  expected,  and  where, 
he  told  her,  she  would  meet  with  all  the  pleasures 
imaginable.  The  negress  answered  only  with  sobs, 
and  the  cry,  '  Kill  me  rather  ! '  The  gavas  resumed  his 
enthusiastic  and  fanciful  descriptions  of  the  good  bed, 
the  good  cheer,  the  fine  clothes,  the  pipe  always  alight, 
the  floods  of  coffee,  all  the  delights  which  would  convert 
this  prison  into  a  complete  paradise.  For  half-an-hour 
I  listened  to  the  discussion,  and  when  I  went  on  my  way 
no  decision  had  been  arrived  at.  I  asked  a  kind  of 
valet  de  place  who  accompanied  me,  why  the  gavas  lost 
his  time  in  attempting  to  convince  the  negress,  instead 
of  forcibly  conveying  her  to  her  destination.  *A 
woman  ! '  was  his  answer,  completely  scandalized  by 
my  question,  and  I  began  to  suspect  that  the  Turks 
were  not  such  brutes  as  they  are  popularly  supposed  to 
be  in  Europe." 

"  The  following  anecdote  also  relates  to  my  residence 
at  Constantinople.     A  woman,  a  Marseillaise  by  birth 


6a  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

but  married  to  a  Mussulman,  was  engaged  in  a  law-suit 
on  some  matter  which  I  have  forgotten ;  but  I  know  that 
her  adversaries  grounded  their  hopes  and  pretensions  on  a 
document  which  they  had  placed  in  the  judge's  hands. 
Informed  of  this  circumstance,  the  Marseillaise  repaired 
to  the  Cadi,  and  begged  him  to  acquaint  her  with  its 
contents.  Nothing  could  be  more  reasonable.  The 
Cadi  took  the  paper,  and  prepared  to  read  it  to  her  ; 
but  he  had  scarcely  perched  his  glasses  on  his  nose  when 
the  lady  leaped  forward,  sprang  at  his  throat,  seized  the 
paper,  put  it  in  her  pocket,  made  her  obeisance,  and 
calmly  passed  out  through  the  vestibule,  which  was 
filled  with  slaves  and  servants.  The  Marseillaise  defied 
her  opponents  to  produce  any  written  document  in  their 
favour,  and  she  won  her  cause.  When  this  story  was  told 
to  me,  I  remarked  that  the  judge  must  have  been  bribed 
by  the  Marseillaise,  since  nothing  could  have  been 
easier  for  him  than,  if  he  wished  it,  to  have  her  arrested 
by  his  guards,  and  deprived  of  the  paper  which  she  had 
carried  off  with  so  much  audacity.  Again  I  received 
the  answer  ;  '  But  she  was  a  woman  ! ' " 

Among  female  travellers  the  Princess  of  Belgiojoso 
must  hold  an  honourable  place,  in  virtue  of  the  accuracy 
of  her  observation  and  the  clearness  of  her  judgment. 
Moreover,  she  is  always  impartial :  she  has  no  precon- 
ceived theories  to  support,  and  consequently  she  is  at 
liberty  neither  to  extenuate  nor  set  down  aught  in  malice. 
In  pictuiesqueness  of  description  she  has  been  excelled 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO.  63 

bv  many,  in  soberness  and  correctness  of  statement  by 
none ;  and,  after  all,  it  is  more  important  that  our 
travellers  should  tell  us  what  they  have  really  seen,  than 
what  they  would  have  wished  to  see ;  should  trust  to 
their  intelligence  as  observers  rather  than  to  their  fancy 
as  poets. 


Note  on  the  Harem^  or  Harum. — It  is  curious  to 
compare  with  the  princess's  disillusionizing  account  of 
a  harem,  such  a  poetical  and  romantic  description  as 
the  following,  in  which  it  becomes  a  bower  of  beauty, 
tenanted  by  an  Oriental  Venus  : — 

"The  lady  of  the  harum — couched  gracefully  on  a 
rich  Persian  carpet  strewn  with  soft  billowy  cushions — 
is  as  rich  a  picture  as  admiration  ever  gazed  on.  Her 
eyes,  if  not  as  dangerous  to  the  heart  as  those  of  our 
country,  where  the  sunshine  of  intellect  gleams  through  a 
heaven  of  blue,  are,  nevertheless,  perfect  in  their  kind, 
and  at  least  as  dangerous  to  the  senses.  Languid,  yet 
full,  brimful  of  life ;  dark,  yet  very  lustrous ;  liquid,  yet 
clear  as  stars ;  they  are  compared  by  their  poets  to 
the  shape  of  the  almond  and  the  bright  timidness  of  the 
gazelle.  The  face  is  delicately  oval,  and  its  shape  is 
set  off  by  the  gold-fringed  turban,  the  most  becoming 
head-dress  in  the  world ;  the  long,  black,  silken  tresses 
are  braided  from  the  forehead,  and  hang  wavily  on  each 
-side  of  the  face,  falling  behind  in  a  glossy  cataract,  that 


64  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

sparkles  with  such  golden  drops  as  might  have  glitterea 
upon  Danae,  after  the  Olympian  shower.  A  light  tunic 
of  pink  or  pale  blue  crape  is  covered  with  a  long  silk 
robe,  open  at  the  bosom,  and  buttoned  thence  downward 
to  the  delicately  slippered  little  feet,  that  peep  daintily 
from  beneath  the  full  silken  trousers.  Round  the  loins, 
rather  than  the  waist,  a  cashmere  shawl  is  loosely  wrapt 
as  a  girdle,  and  an  embroidered  jacket,  or  a  large  silk 
robe  with  loose  open  sleeves,  completes  the  costume. 
Nor  is  the  fragrant  water-pipe,  with  its  long  variegated 
serpent,  and  its  jewelled  mouth-piece,  any  detraction 
from  the  portrait. 

"Picture  to  yourself  one  of  Eve's  brightest  daugh- 
ters, in  Eve's  own  loving  land.  The  woman-dealer  has 
found  among  the  mountains  that  perfection  in  a  living 
form  which  Praxiteles  scarcely  realized,  when  inspired 
fancy  wrought  out  its  ideal  in  marble.  Silken  scarfs,  as 
richly  coloured  and  as  airy  as  the  rainbow,  wreathe  her 
round,  from  the  snowy  breast  to  the  finely  rounded 
limbs  half  buried  in  billowy  cushions;  the  attitude  is 
the  very  poetry  of  repose,  languid  it  may  be,  but  glow- 
ing life  thrills  beneath  that  flower-soft  exterior,  from  the 
varying  cheek  and  flashing  eye,  to  the  henna-dyed 
taper  fingers,  that  capriciously  play  with  her  rosary 
of  beads.  The  blaze  of  sunshine  is  round  her  kiosk, 
but  she  sits  in  the  softened  shadow  so  dear  to  the 
painter's  eye.  And  so  she  dreams  away  the  warm  hours 
in  such  a  calm  of  thought  within,  and  sight  or  sound 
without,   that   she   starts   when    the   gold-fish   gleam  in 


THE  PRINCESS  OF  BELGIOJOSO,  65 

the  fountain,  or  the  breeze-ruffled  roses  shed  a  Jeaf 
upon  her  bosom." — Eliot  Warburton,  "The  Crescent 
and  the  Cross,"  etc.  etc 

As  European  gentlemen  are  never  admitted  to  the 
harem,  it  is  hardly  credible  that  Major  Warburton 
could  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  beauty 
-which  he  paints  in  such  glowing  colours. 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL. 


I. 


NOT  only  as  a  persevering  and  enlightened  travel- 
ler, but  as  a  poet,  Madame  Hommaire  de  Hell 
has  gained  distinction.  It  is  in  the  former  capacity  that 
she  claims  a  place  in  these  pages. 

She  was  born  at  Artois,  in  1819.  While  she  was  still 
an  infant,  her  mother  died ;  but  it  was  her  good  fortune 
to  find  in  the  love  of  an  only  sister  no  inadequate  substi- 
tute for  maternal  affection.  Her  father  seems  to  have 
been  one  of  those  individuals  whom  Fortune  tosses  to 
and  fro  with  pertinacious  ill-humour ;  moreover,  he  had 
something  of  the  nomad  in  his  temperament,  and 
without  any  real  or  sufficient  motive,  moved  from  place 
to  place,  entailing  upon  his  young  family  sudden  and 
burdensome  journeys.  Before  Adela  was  seven  years  old, 
she  had  been  carried  from  Franche-Comt^  into  the  Bour- 
bonnais,  thence  into  Auvergne,  and  thence  to  Paris.  She 
was  afte-x wards    placed  in  a  boarding-school  at    Saint- 

•6 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  67 

Maud^,  but  her  father's  death  restored  her  to  her  sister's 
guardianship  at  Saint-Etienne. 

A  short  time  after  her  arrival  in  this  town,  she 
attracted  the  attention  of  Xavier  Hommaire  de  Hell, 
since  so  justly  celebrated  as  a  traveller  and  a  scientist. 
He  fell  passionately  in  love  with  her,  and  though  she 
was  but  fifteen  years  of  age,  and  had  no  fortune,  he 
rested  not  until  his  family  gave  their  consent  to  his 
marriage. 

To  provide  for  his  child-wife  he  obtained  an  office  in 
the  railway  administration,  but  only  temporarily,  for 
already  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  seek  fortune  and 
reputation  in  some  foreign  country.  He  pushed  his 
solicitations  with  so  much  energy  that,  in  the  firs'i 
year  of  his  wedded  life,  he  secured  an  appointment 
under  the  Turkish  Government.  His  wife,  to  whom 
a  child  had  just  been  given,  was  unable  to  accom- 
pany him.  The  pain  of  separation  was  very  great, 
but  both  knew  that  in  France  there  was  no  present 
opening  for  his  talents,  and  both  were  agreed  that 
their  separation  should  not  be  for  long.  And,  indeed, 
before  the  end  of  the  year,  Madame  de  Hell  clasped 
her  babe  to  her  bosom,  and  set  out  to  join  her 
husband. 

Her  poetical  faculties  were  first  stimulated  by  her 
voyage  to  the  East,  Previously  she  had  cherished  a  deep 
lov^e  for  nature,  for  the  music  of  verse,  for  nobility  of 
thougnt,  but  had  made  no  attempt  to  define  and  record 
her  impressions.     The  isles  and  shores  of  the  Mediter- 


68  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

ranean,  with  their  myriad  charms  and  grand  historic 
associations  : — 

**That  great  mid-sea  that  moans  with  memories/'* 

loosened  her  genius,  so  to  speak,  and  stimulated  her  to 
clothe  her  feelings  and  sentiments  in  a  metrical  form. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  understand  the  effect  which,  on 
a  warm  imagination  and  sensitive  temperament,  that 
richly-coloured  panorama  of  "the  isles  of  Greece," 
and  that  exquisite  prospect  of  Constantinople  and  the 
Golden  Horn,  would  necessarily  produce.  For  some 
time,  as  she  herself  tells  us,  she  lived  in  a  kind  of 
moral  and  intellectual  intoxication  ;  she  was  ab- 
sorbed in  an  ideal  world,  which  bewildered  while  it 
delighted  her. 

The  plague  was  then  dealing  heavily  with  the  unfortu- 
nate Mussulman  populations,  but  it  did  not  terrify  our 
enthusiastic  travellers ;  as  if  they  bore  a  charmed  life, 
they  went  to  and  fro,  seeing  whatever  was  fine  or 
memorable,  and  yet  all  unable  to  satisfy  that  thirst  foi 
beauty  which  the  beautiful  around  them  had  excited 
Madame  de  Hell  was  under  the  influence  of  a  subtle 
spell ;  her  quick  fancy  was  profoundly  impressed  by 
the  picturesque  aspects  of  Oriental  life,  by  its  glow  of 
colour  and  grace  of  form,  so  different  from  the  common- 
place and  monotonous  realities  of  the  West.  She  seemed 
to  be  living  in  the  old  days  of  the  Khalifs — those  days 
which  the  authors  of  the  "  Thousand  and  One  Stories  " 

*  George  Eliot. 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE   HELL,  69 

have  immortalized — to  be  living,  for  example,  in  the 
"golden  prime  of  good  Haroun  Al-Raschid" — as  she 
saw  before  her  the  motley  procession  of  veiled  women, 
Persians  with  their  pointed  bonnets,  Hindu  jugglers 
with  lithe  lissom  figures,  negro  slaves,  grey-bearded 
beggars  looking  like  princes  in  disguise,  and  Armenians 
\\Tapped  in  their  long  furred  cloaks.  She  delighted, 
accompanied  by  her  husband,  to  explore  the  silent 
recesses  of  the  hilly  and  almost  solitary  streets  in  the 
less  frequented  quarters  of  Stamboul,  where  a  latticed 
window  or  a  half-open  door  would  suggest  a  romance  of 
love  and  mystery,  or  a  vision  of  some  gorgeous  palace 
interior,  of 

**Carven  cedarn  doors. 
Flung  inward  over  spangled  floors. 
Broad  based  flights  of  marble  stairs. 
Run  up  with  golden  balustrade." 

When  Madame  de  Hell  visited  the  East,  it  was  con- 
sidered dangerous  for  Franks  to  venture  into  the  streets 
of  Constantinople,  and  they  occupied  only  the  suburbs 
of  Pera  and  Galata,  which  were  exclusively  made  over  to 
the  Christian  population,  and  separated  from  the  Mussul- 
man city  by  the  arm  of  the  sea  known  as  the  Golden 
Horn.  And  as  in  those  days,  which  were  long  before 
the  introduction  of  Mr.  Cook's  "personally  conducted 
tours,"  tourists  were  few,  the  presence  of  a  "  giaour  "  in 
the  Mohammedan  quarter  was  an  extraordinary  event. 
Those  who  should  have  fallen  in  with  our  two  young 
adventurers,  their  eager  gaze  roving  everywhere  m  quest 


70  IVO^WAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

of  new  discoveries,  strolling  hither  and  thither  like  two 
children  out  for  a  holiday,  would  never  for  one  moment 
have  supposed  that  a  terrible  pestilence  was  raging 
through  the  city,  and  nowhere  more  fatally  than  in  the 
very  districts  they  had  chosen  for  their  explorations. 
But  perhaps  the  danger  from  disease  was  not  so 
imminent  as  the  peril  they  incurred  in  penetrating  into 
the  chosen  territory  of  Islam.  Fortune  favoured  them, 
however,  or  their  frank  bearing  disarmed  fanaticism, 
and  they  escaped  without  molestation  or  even  insult. 

As  Monsieur  and  Madame  de  Hell  resided  for  a  year 
in  Constantinople,  it  is  needless  to  say  they  remained 
long  enough  for  the  glamour  to  disappear,  in  which  at 
first  their  lively  imaginations  had  invested  everything 
around  them.  The  gorgeous  visions  vanished,  and 
their  eyes  were  opened  to  the  hard  realities  of  Moham- 
medan ignorance,  bigotry  and  misgovernment.  They 
learned,  perhaps,  that  the  order  and  freedom  of  Western 
civilization  are  infinitely  more  valuable  than  the 
picturesqueness  of  Oriental  society.  In  1838  they  set  out 
for  Odessa,  where  Monsieur  de  Hell  hoped  to  obtain  a 
position  worthy  of  his  talents.  The  future  of  the  young 
couple  rested  wholly  on  a  letter  of  recommendation  to 
General  Potier,  by  whom  they  were  warmly  welcomed. 
The  general,  who  owned  a  large  estate  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, where  he  cultivated  a  famous  breed  of  Merino 
sheep,  had  formed  a  project  for  erecting  mills  upon  the 
Dnieper.  To  carry  it  out  he  needed  an  engineer,  and  in 
M.  Hommaire  de  Hell  he  found  one.     Straightway  they 


MADAAfE  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL,  71 

•proceeded  to  his  estate  at  Kherson,  and  M.  de  Hell  set  to 
work  on  the  necessary  plans.  While  thus  engaged,  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  a  scientific  expedition  to  the 
Caspian  Sea — a  basin  of  which  little  was  then  known  to 
our  geographers — and  this  idea  held  him  so  firmly  that, 
a  few  months  later,  he  gave  up  his  employment  in  order 
to  realize  it.  In  one  of  his  excursions  to  the  cataracts  of 
the  Dnieper,  where  the  mills  were  to  be  erected,  his 
geological  knowledge  led  him  to  the  discovery  of  the 
rich  veins  of  an  iron  mine,  which  has  since  been 
profitably  worked. 

"This  period  of  my  life,"  wrote  Madame  de  Hell, 
aftervv'ards,  "  spent  in  the  midst  of  the  steppes,  remote 
fiom  any  town,  appears  to  me  now  in  so  calm,  ten- 
der, and  serene  a  light,  that  the  slightest  memorial  of 
it  moves  me  profoundly.  Only  to  see  the  shore 
where  we  i)assed  whole  days  in  seeking  for  shells,  only 
to  hear  the  sound  of  the  great  waves  rolling  on  the 
sandbanks  and  among  the  seaweed,  only  to  recall  a 
single  one  of  the  impressions  of  that  happy  epoch,  I 
would  willingly  repeat  the  voyage." 

For  his  great  scientific  expedition,  M.  de  Hell  made 
vigorous  preparations  during  the  winter  of  1838,  and 
having  obtained  from  Count  Vorontzov,  the  governor  of 
New  Russia,  strong  letters  of  recommendation  to  the 
governors  and  officials  of  the  provinces  he  would  have 
to  traverse,  he  and  his  wife  started  in  the  middle  of  May, 
1839,  accompanied    by  a   Cossack,  and   an   excellent 


72  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

dragoman,  who  spoke  all  the  dialects  current-  \xr 
Southern  Russia. 

Their  journey  through  the  country  of  the  Don  Cqs- 
sacks  we  shall  pass  over,  as  offering  nothing  of  special 
novelty  or  interest,  and  take  up  Madame  de  Hell's 
narrative  at  the  point  of  her  arrival  on  the  banks  of 
the  Volga. 

"  A  dull  white  line,"  she  says,  "  scarcely  perceptible 
through  the  gloom,  announced  the  presence  of  the  great 
river.  We  followed  its  course  all  night,  catching  a 
glimpse  of  it  from  time  to  time  by  the  faint  glimmer 
of  the  stars,  and  by  the  lights  of  the  fishermen's  lan- 
terns flashing  here  and  there  along  its  banks.  There 
was  an  originality  in  the  scene  that  strongly  affected  the 
imagination.  Those  numerous  lights,  flitting  from  point 
to  point,  were  like  the  will-o'-the-wisps  that  beguile 
the  belated  traveller;  and  then  the  Kalmuk  encamp- 
ments with  their  black  masses  that  seemed  to  glide  over 
the  surface  of  the  steppe,  the  darkness  of  the  niglit, 
the  speed  with  which  our  troika  (set  of  three)  carried  us 
over  the  boundless  plain,  the  shrill  tinkle  of  the  horse- 
bells,  and,  above  all,  the  knowledge  that  we  were  in 
the  land  of  the  KaKnuks,  wrought  us  up  to  a  state 
of  nervous  excitement  that  made  us  see  everything  in 
the  hues  of  fancy. 

"  At  daybreak  our  eyes  were  turned  eagerly  towards 
the  Volga,  that  flashed  in  the  glories  of  the  morning 
sky.  From  the  elevation  we  had  reached  we  could 
survey  the  whole  country  ;  and   it  may  easily  be  con- 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  73 

ceived  with  what  admiration  we  gazed  upon  the  calm 
majestic  river,  and  on  its  multitude  of  islands,  fringed 
with  aspen  and  alder.  On  the  other  side,  the  steppes, 
where  the  Kirghiz  and  Kalmuks  encamp,  extended  as 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  till  limited  by  a  horizon  as 
smooth  and  uniform  as  that  of  the  ocean.  It  would 
be  difficult  to  imagine  a  grander  picture,  or  one  more 
entirely  in  harmony  with  the  ideas  evoked  by  the  Volga, 
to  which  its  course  of  upwards  of  six  hundred  leagues 
assigns  the  foremost  place  among  European  rivers." 

At  the  outset  of  her  journey,  Madame  de  Hell  had 
exclaimed :  **  What  happiness  it  is  to  escape  from  the 
prosaic  details  of  every-day  life,  from  social  obligations, 
from  the  dull  routine  of  habit,  to  take  one's  flight 
towards  the  almost  unknown  shores  of  the  Caspian  !  It 
is  strange,  but  it  proyes  that  my  vocation  is  that  of 
tourist,  that  what  would  daunt  the  majority  of  women 
is  really  what  charms  me  most  in  the  forecast  of  this 
journey." 

Assuredly,  the  details  of  every-day  life  were  left 
behind  when  the  courageous  lady  embarked  upon  the 
Volga,  and  set  out  for  the  famous  city  of  Astrakhan. 
All  around  her  was  new  and  strange,  and  each  day, 
each  hour,  brought  before  her  eager  mind  some  fresh 
subject  of  speculation.  She  paid  a  visit  to  a  Kalmuk 
prince.  Prince  Tumene,  and  found  herself  in  the  midst 
ot  a  new  world.  The  prince's  palace  was  built,  she 
says,   in  the  Chinese  style,  and   plea.santly  situated  on 

s 


74  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

the  green  side  of  a  gentle  slope,  about  one  hundred  feet 
from  the  Volga.  Its  numerous  galleries  afforded  views 
over  every  part  of  the  island  on  which  the  palace  was 
situated,  and  commanded  a  long  reach  of  the  shining 
river.  P>om  one  angle  the  eye  looked  down  on  a  mass 
of  foliage  embosoming  the  glittering  cupola  and  the 
golden  ball  above.  Beautiful  meadows,  studded  with 
clumps  of  trees,  and  highly  cultivated  fields,  spread 
out  their  verdure  to  the  left  of  the  palace,  and  formed 
a  succession  of  landscapes,  like  pictures  in  a  panorama. 
The  whole  was  enlivened  by  the  figures  of  Kalmuk 
horsemen  galloping  to  and  fro,  of  camels  wandering 
here  and  there  through  the  rich  pastures,  and  officers 
conveying  the  orders  of  their  chief  from  tent  to  tent. 
The  spectacle  was  imposing;  various  in  its  details,  but 
iiarmonious   as  a  whole. 

Madame  de  Hell  was  invited  to  visit  the  prince's 
sister-in-law,  who,  during  the  summer  season,  resided  in 
lier  kibitka  in  preference  to  the  palace.  The  curtain  at 
the  threshold  of  the  pavilion  having  been  raised,  she  was 
lushered  into  a  spacious  room,  lighted  from  above,  and 
draped  with  red  damask,  the  reflection  from  which  shed 
a  glowing  tint  on  every  object ;  the  floor  was  covered 
with  a  rich  Turkey  carpet,  and  the  air  was  heavy  with 
perfumes.  In  this  rosy  light  and  balmy  atmosphere  was 
seated  the  princess,  on  a  low  platform  at  the  further  end 
of  the  tent,  dressed  in  shining  robes  and  motionless  as  an 
idol.  Around  her,  crouching  on  their  heels,  were  arranged 
ftonie   twenty  women   in   full   dress.     Having    allowed 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL,  75 

Madame  de  Hell  a  few  minutes  to  admire  her,  the 
princess  slowly  descended  the  steps  of  the  platform, 
approached  with  a  dignified  bearing,  took  her  by  the 
hand,  embraced  her  affectionately,  and  led  her  to  the 
seat  she  had  just  vacated.  Through  the  medium  of  an 
Armenian  interpreter  a  brief  conversation  followed,  after 
which  she  made  signs  that  dancing  should  begin.  One 
of  the  ladies  of  honour  then  rose  and  performed  a  few 
steps,  turning  slowly  upon  herself ;  while  another,  who 
remained  seated,  drew  forth  from  a  balalaika  (an  Orien- 
tal guitar)  certain  doleful  sounds,  ill-adapted  to  the 
movements  of  a  dancer.  Nor  were  the  attitudes  and 
movements  of  her  companion  so  much  those  of  the 
•dance  as  of  the  pantomime.  There  was  evidently  a 
meaning  in  them,  though  Madame  de  Hell  could  not 
unravel  it  The  young  figurante  frequently  extended 
her  arms  and  threw  herself  on  her  knees,  as  if  in 
invocation  of  some  unseen  power. 

The  performance  lasted  for  some  considerable  time, 
and  Madame  de  Hell  had  ample  opportunity  of  scruti- 
nizing the  princess,  and  of  coming  to  the  conclusion 
that  her  high  reputation  for  beauty  was  not  undeserved. 
Her  figure  was  imposing  and  well-proportioned.  The 
lips,  beautifully  arched  and  closing  over  pearly 
teeth ;  the  countenance,  expressive  of  great  sweet- 
ness ;  the  skin,  of  a  brownish  tint,  but  exquisitely 
delicate,  would  entitle  her  to  be  considered  a  very 
handsome  woman,  even  in  France,  if  the  outline  of 
her   face   and    the   arrangement    of   her  features — the 


76  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

oblique    eyes,    the    prominent  cheek-bones — had   been 
less  pronouncedly  Kalmuk. 

A  word  as  to  her  costume.  Over  a  costly  robe  of 
Persian  stuff,  laced  all  over  with  silver,  she  wore  a  light 
silk  tunic,  'open  in  front,  and  descending  only  to  the 
knee.  The  high  corsage  was  quite  flat,  and  glittered 
with  silver  embroidery  and  fine  pearls  that  covered  every 
seam.  Round  her  neck  she  wore  a  white  cambric  habit- 
shirt,  in  shape  not  unlike  a  man's  collar  (forty  years  ago), 
and  fastened  in  front  by  a  diamond  button.  Her 
luxuriant  deep  black  hair  fell  over  her  bosom  in  two 
magnificent  and  remarkably  long  tresses.  A  yellow  cap, 
edged  with  rich  fur,  and  fashioned  like  the  square  cap  of 
a  French  judge,  was  set  jauntily  on  the  crown  of  her 
head.  But  in  her  costume  the  two  articles  that  most 
surprised  Madame  de  Hell  were  an  embroidered  cambric 
handkerchief  and  a  pair  of  black  mittens,  significant 
proofs  that  the  products  of  the  French  loom  found 
their  way  even  to  the  toilet  of  a  Kalmuk  lady. 
Among  the  princess's  ornaments  must  not  be  forgot- 
ten a  large  gold  chain,  which,  after  being  twisted  round 
her  glossy  tresses,  was  passed  through  her  gold  earrings 
and  then  allowed  to  fall  upon  her  bosom. 

Madame  de  Hell  was  afterwards  entertained  with  a 
specimen  of  Kalmuk  horsemanship.  The  moment  she 
came  out  into  the  open,  five  or  six  mounted  men,  armed 
with  long  lassoes,  rushed  into  the  middle  of  the  taboon^  or 
herd  of  horses,  collected  for  the  purpose,  keeping  their 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL,  77 

eyes  constantly  on  the  princess's  son,  Madame  de  Hell's 
companion,  who  was  to  point  out  the  animal  they  should 
seize. 

At  the  signal,  they  immediately  galloped  forward  and 
noosed  a  young  horse  with  long  dishevelled  mane,  whose 
dilated  eyes  and  smoking  nostrils  revealed  his  inexpres 
sible  terror.  A  lightly  clad  Kalmuk,  who  followed  them 
a-foot,  sprang  instantly  upon  the  stallion,  cut  the  thongs 
that  were  throttling  him,  and  engaged  with  him  in  a  con- 
test of  incredible  agility  and  daring.  It  would  scarcely 
be  possible  for  any  spectacle  more  vividly  to  affect  the 
mind  than  that  now  presented  to  Madame  de  Hell's 
aistonished  gaze.  Sometimes  rider  and  horse  rolled 
together  on  the  grass,  sometimes  they  shot  through  the 
air  with  arrowy  speed,  and  then  suddenly  halted  as  if 
a  wall  had  sprung  up  before  them.  All  at  once  the 
impetuous  animal  would  crawl  on  its  belly,  or  rear  in  a 
manner  that  made  the  spectators  shriek  with  terror,  then, 
plunging  forward  in  a  mad  gallop,  he  would  dash  through 
the  startled  herd,  seeking  by  every  possible  means  to  rid 
himself  of  his  unaccustomed  burden. 

But  this  exercise,  violent  and  perilous  as  it  looked  to 
Europeans,  seemed  but  sport  to  the  Kalmuk,  whose 
body  followed  every  movement  of  the  animal  with  so 
much  suppleness,  that  one  might  hkve  supposed  both 
steed  and  rider  to  be  animated  by  the  same  thought. 
The  sweat  poured  in  profuse  streams  from  the  stallion's 
flanks,  and  he  trembled  in  every  limb.  As  for  the 
rider,  his  coolness  would  have  put  to  shame  the  most 


78  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

accomplished  horseman  in  Europe.  In  the  most  critical 
moments  he  contrived  so  far  to  retain  his  self-command 
as  to  wave  his  arms  in  token  of  triumph  ;  and,  in  spite  of 
the  passion  and  temper  of  his  untrained  steed,  held 
sufficient  control  over  it  to  keep  it  always  within  the  circle 
of  the  spectators'  vision.  At  a  signal  from  the  prince,  two 
horsemen,  who  had  remained  as  close  as  possible  to  the 
daring  centaur,  seized  him  with  astonishing  swiftness, 
and  galloped  away  with  him  before  those  who  looked  on 
could  understand  the  new  manoeuvre.  The  horse,  for  a 
moment  stupefied,  soon  darted  away  at  full  speed  and 
was  lost  in  the  midst  of  the  herd.  This  exploit  was 
several  times  repeated,  and  always  without  the  rider 
suffering  himself  to  be  thrown. 

Madame  de  Hell's  account  of  the  Kalmuks  is,  on  the 
whole,  very  favourable,  while  it  shows  how  closely  she 
studied  their  manners  and  customs,  and  the  habits  of 
their  daily  life.  As  to  physical  details,  she  says  that 
the  Kalmuks  have  eyes  set  obliquely,  with  eyelids  little 
opened,  scanty  black  eyebrows,  noses  deeply  depressed 
near  the  forehead,  prominent  cheek  bones,  spare  beards, 
thin  moustaches,  and  a  brownish-yellow  skin.  The  lips 
of  the  men  are  thick  and  fleshy,  but  the  women, 
particularly  those  of  the  higher  classes — the  "  white 
bones,"  as  they  are  called — have  heart-shaped  mouths 
of  more  than  ordinary  beauty.  All  have  great  ears, 
projecting  strongly  from  the  head,  and  their  hair  is 
invariably   black. 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  79 

The  Kalmuks  are  generally  small,  but  with  well- 
rounded  figures  and  an  easy  carriage.  Very  few  deformed 
persons  are  seen  among  them ;  for,  with  the  wisdom  of 
nature,  they  leave  the  development  of  their  children's 
frames  unchecked,  nor,  indeed,  do  they  put  any  garments 
upon  them  until  they  reach  the  age  of  nine  or  ten. 
No  sooner  can  they  walk  than  they  mount  on  horse- 
back, and  address  themselves  vigorously  to  wrestling 
and  riding,  the  chief  amusements  of  the  tribes. 

Like  all  who  dwell  upon  vast  plains,  they  enjoy  an 
exceedingly  keen  sight.  An  hour  after  sunset  they  can 
distinguish  a  camel  at  a  distance  of  upwards  of  three 
miles.  Madame  de  Hell  tells  us  that  often  when  she 
could  see  nothing  but  a  point  on  the  horizon,  they  would 
clearly  make  out  a  horseman  armed  with  lance  and  gun. 
They  have  also  an  extraordinary  faculty  for  tracing  their 
way  through  the  pathless  wildernesses.  Without  any 
apparent  landmarks  they  would  traverse  hundreds  of 
miles  with  their  flocks,  and  never  deviate  from  the  right 
course. 

The  costume  of  the  common  Kalmuks  exhibits  no 
decided  peculiarity,  apart  from  the  cap,  which  is 
invariably  of  yellow  cloth  trimmed  with  black  lambskin, 
and  is  worn  by  both  sexes.  Madame  de  Hell  seems 
inclined  to  think  that  some  superstitious  notions  are 
connected  with  it,  from  the  difficulty  she  experienced  in 
procuring  a  specimen.  The  trousers  are  wide  and  open 
below.  The  well-to-do  Kalmuks  wear  two  long  tunics, 
one  of  which  is  fastened  round  the  waist,  but  the  usual 


8o  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

dress  consists  only  of  trousers  and  a  jacket  of  skin  with 
tight  sleeves.  The  men  shave  a  part  of  their  heads,  and 
the  rest  of  the  hair  is  collected  into  a  single  cluster, 
which  hangs  down  on  the  shoulders.  The  women  wear 
two  tresses,  which  is  really  the  sole  visible  distinction  of 
their  sex.  The  princes  have  adopted  the  Circassian 
costume,  or  the  uniform  of  the  Astrakhan  Cossacks,  to 
which  body  some  of  them  belong.  The  ordinary 
chaussure  is  red  boots  with  very  high  heels  and  generally 
much  too  short.  The  Kalmuks  have  almost  as  great 
a  partiality  for  small  feet  as  the  Chinese,  and,  as  they  are 
constantly  on  horseback,  their  short  boots  cause  them 
no  great  inconvenience.  But  for  these  reasons  they 
are  very  bad  pedestrians,  their  "  cribbed,  cabined,  and 
confined  "  foot-gear  obliges  them  to  walk  on  their  toes  ; 
and  their  distress  is  great  when  they  have  no  horse  to 
mount. 

Like  all  pastoral  people,  the  Kalmuks  live  frugally, 
because  their  wants  are  few,  and  their  nomadic  life  is 
unfavourable  to  the  growth  of  a  liking  for  luxuries. 
They  live  chiefly  upon  milk  and  butter,  with  tea  for 
their  favourite  beverage.  Their  bill  of  fare  also  includes 
meat,  and  particularly  horse-flesh,  which  they  prefer  to 
any  other,  but  they  do  not  eat  it  raw,  as  some  writers 
have  pretended.  As  for  cereals,  which  Europeans  value 
so  highly,  their  use  is  scarcely  known  ;  it  is  at  rare 
intervals  only  that  some  of  them  buy  bread  or  oatcake 
from  the  neighbouring  Russians.  Their  mode  of  pre- 
paring tea  would  not  commend  itself  to  the  denizens  of 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL  8i 

Mayfair.  It  comes  to  them  from  China  in  the  shape  of 
very  hard  bricks,  composed  of  the  leaves  and  coarsest 
portions  of  the  plant  After  boiling  it  for  a  considerable 
time  in  water,  they  add  milk,  butter,  and  salt.  The 
infusion  then  acquires  consistency,  and  a  dull  red  colour. 
•**  We  tasted  the  beverage,"  says  Madame  de  Hell,  "  at 
Prince  Tumene's,  but  must  confess  it  was  perfectly  detest- 
able. .  .  .  They  say,  however,  that  one  easily  gets  accus- 
tomed to  it,  and  eventually  learns  to  think  it  delicious. 
It  has,  however,  one  good  quality.  By  strongly  stimu- 
lating perspiration  it  serves  as  an  excellent  preservative 
as:ainst  the  effect  of  sudden  chills.  The  Kalmuks  drink 
It  out  of  round  shallow  little  wooden  vessels,  to  which 
they  often  attach  a  very  high  value.  I  have  seen  several," 
adds  our  traveller,  "  which  were  priced  at  two  or  three 
horses.  They  are  generally  made  of  roots  brought  from 
Asia.  It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  Kalmuks 
know  nothing  of  tea-kettles,  and  make  their  beverage  in 
large  iron  pots.  Next  to  tea,  they  love  spirituous  liquors. 
From  mare's  milk  or  ass's  milk  they  manufacture  a  kind 
of  brandy ;  but  as  it  is  a  very  feeble  stimulant,  they 
eagerly  seek  after  Russian  liquors  ;  and  therefore,  to 
prevent  the  fatal  consequences  of  their  mania,  the 
government  has  forbidden  the  establishment  of  any 
dram-shops  among  their  hordes.  The  women  crave  the 
Ceadly  liquor  no  less  ardently  than  the  men,  but  are 
so  closely  watched  by  their  lords  and  masters  that  tncy 
have  few  opportunities  of  indulging  the  taste.** 

Among  the  Kalmuks,  as  among  most  Oriental  peoples. 


82  WOAfAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

the  stronger  sex  looks  with  contempt  upon  ail  household 
matters,  abandoning  them  entirely  to  the  women ;  wno- 
work  and  take  charge  of  the  children,  keep  the  tents  m 
order,  make  up  the  garments  and  furs  of  the  family,, 
and  attend  to  the  cattle.  The  men  hardly  condescend 
to  groom  their  horses ;  they  hunt,  drink  tea  or  brandy,, 
doze  about  upon  felts,  and  smoke  or  sleep.  Add  to- 
their  daily  occupations,  if  such  they  can  be  called,  their 
joining  in  occasional  games,  such  as  chess  and  knuckle- 
bones, and  you  have  a  complete  picture  of  the  existence 
— we  will  not  say  life — of  a  Kalmuk  paterfamilias^ 
At  their  laborious  days,  however,  the  women  never 
repine  ;  they  are  accustomed  to  the  burden,  and  bear  it 
cheerfully;  but  they  age  very  early,  and  after  a  few 
years  of  wedlock,  not  only  lose  their  good  looks,  but 
acquire  a  coarseness  of  feature  and  a  robustness  of 
figure  which  make  it  exceedingly  difficult  to  distinguish 
them  from  men.  Nor  is  the  difficulty  lessened  by  the 
fact  that  the  costume  of  both  sexes  is  closely  alike. 

At  Astrakhan  the  most  dangerous  as  well  as  the  most 
arduous  part  of  the  expedition  of  our  two  travellers 
began.  They  were  compelled  to  carry  provisions  with 
them,  if  they  did  not  wish  to  perish  of  hunger  on  the 
steppes.  An  escort  was  therefore  necessary,  and  the 
Russian  governor  selected  for  the  p)ost  one  of  his  best 
officers ;  a  young  man  famed  for  his  skill  as  a  hunter,, 
and  as  the  happy  owner  of  a  falcon  from  which  he 
would  never  separate.  Satisfied  with  providing  so  com- 
petent a  purveyor,  the  governor,  in  presenting  him  to  the 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  %s- 

travellers,  said :  "  Now  my  conscience  is  at  rest !  I 
give  you  a  brave  soldier  to  protect  you,  and  a  travelling 
companion  who  will  take  care  that  you  are  not  starved 
to  death  in  the  desert." 

From  Astrakhan  they  pushed  forward  to  Vladimirofka, 
a  town  on  the  Kuma,  which  they  entered  with  a  good 
deal  of  pomp  and  circumstance.  A  britchka,  drawn  by 
three  camels,  and  carrying  Monsieur  and  Madame  de- 
Hell,  led  the  van ;  then  came  a  troop  of  four  or  five 
Cossacks,  armed  to  the  teeth,  and  several  Kalmuks 
guiding  a  train  of  camels  loaded  with  baggage.  The 
Cossack  officer,  with  falcon  on  wrist,  and  his  long  rifle 
slung  behind  him,  rode  by  the  side  of  the  carriage, 
ready,  with  Muscovite  precision,  to  transmit  orders  to- 
the  escort,  and  gallop  off  at  the  slightest  signal ;  whilst 
the  dragoman  lolled  on  the  box-seat  with  a  fine  air  of 
contemptuous  indifference  to  everything  around  him. 
After  a  few  days'  rest  and  refreshment,  they  resumed 
their  journey,  advancing  rapidly  towards  the  Caucasus,^ 
of  which  the  highest  summit,  Mount  Elburz,  from  time 
to  time  afforded  them  a  glimpse  of  its  lofty  head,  which 
was  almost  always  shrouded  in  mist,  as  if  to  conceal  it 
from  the  profane  gaze.  Tradition  avows  that  Noah's 
dove  alighted  on  its  peak,  and  plucked  thence  the 
mystic  branch  which  has  ever  since  been  hallowed  as 
symbolic  of  peace  and  hope 

'*  We  were  now,"  writes  Madame  de  Hell,  **  in  an 
enchanted  region,  though  but  just  beyond  the  verge  of 
the   steppes.     The  faint  lines  that  chequered  the  sky 


84  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

gradually  assumed  a  greater  distinctness  of  form  and 
colour;  at  first  the  mountains  seemed  so  many  light, 
transparent  vapours,  floating  upon  the  wind;  but  by 
degrees  the  airy  vision  developed  into  forest-crowned 
mountains,  deep  shadowy  gorges,  and  domes  clothed 
with  mists.  Our  minds  were  almost  overwhelmed  with  a 
multitude  of  emotions,  excited  by  the  prodigal  nature 
before  us,  the  magnificent  vegetation,  and  the  various 
hues  of  forest  and  mountain,  peak,  crag,  ravine,  and 
snowy  summits.  It  was  beautiful,  superbly  beautiful, 
and  then  it  was  the  Caucasus  !  The  Caucasus — a  name 
associated  with  so  many  grand  historic  memories,  with 
the  earliest  traditions  and  most  fabulous  creeds — the 
abode,  in  the  world's  grey  morning,  of  the  races  whence 
have  sprung  so  many  famous  nations.  Around  it  hangs 
all  the  vague  poetry  of  the  ages,  visible  only  to  the 
imagination  through  the  mysterious   veil  of  antiquity." 

At  Georgief  they  rested  on  the  threshold  of  the 
Caucasus.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Piatigorsk,  cele- 
brated for  its  mineral  waters.  On  the  road  they  fell 
in  with  a  troop  of  Circassians.  "  I  shall  never  forget," 
says  Madame  de  Hell,  *'  the  glances  which  they  flung  on 
our  Cossacks  as  they  passed  by,  though  it  was  only  in 
looks  they  durst  manifest  the  hatred  that  seethed  in  their 
hearts  against  everything  Russian.  They  were  all  fully 
armed.  Beneath  their  black  bourkas  glittered  the  sheen 
of  their  pistols  and  their  damasked  poniards.  I  confess 
their  appearance  pleased  me  most  when  they  were  juht 


AfADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  85 

vanishing  from  sight  on  the  summit  of  a  hill,  where 
their  martial  figures  were  outlined  against  the  sky. 
Seeing  them  through  the  mist,  I  began  to  think  of 
Ossian's  heroes." 

Piatigorsk  is  not  so  much  a  town  as  a  pleasant  cluster 
of  country-houses,  inhabited  for  some  months  of  the 
year  by  a  rich  aiistocracy.  All  about  it  is  gay  and 
pretty,  and  everywhere  are  those  signs  of  affluence  which 
the  Russian  nobles  love  to  see  around  them.  Nothing 
offends  the  eye ;  nothing  touches  the  heart ;  there  are 
no  poor,  no  squalid  huts,  no  indication  of  the  wretched- 
ness of  poverty.  It  is  a  terrestrial  Elysium,  where  great 
ladies  and  princes,  courtiers  and  generals,  look  out  upon 
none  but  agreeable  images,  selected  from  all  that  is 
charming  in  art  and  nature.  Thermal  springs  are  found 
on  most  of  the  surrounding  heights,  and  the  works  that 
afford  access  to  them  do  credit  to  the  skill  of  the 
Russian  engineers  and  the  liberality  of  the  Russian 
government.  On  one  of  the  loftiest  peaks  rises  an 
octagonal  building,  consisting  of  a  cupola  resting  upon 
slender  shapely  columns,  which  are  encircled  at  their 
base  by  a  graceful  balustrade.  The  interior,  open  on 
all  sides,  contains  an  .^olian  harp,  the  melancholy 
notes  of  which,  blending  with  all  the  mountain  echoes, 
descend  softly  to  the  valley. 

The  route  of  our  travellers,  after  quitting  Piatigorsk, 
lay  along  the  broad  deep  valley  of  the  Pod  Kouwa, 
which,  on  the  light,  is  bounded  by  rocks  piled  one  upon 
another,    like   billows   suddenly  petrified,  and  bearing 


m  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

witness  to  some  great  upheaval  in  the  past ;  on  the  left, 
-tier  after  tier  of  richly  wooded  mountains  rise  gradually 
to  the  majestic  chain  of  the  Kazbek.  Eventually  the 
iToad  leaves  the  valley,  at  a  point  where  it  has  become 
very  narrow,  and  traverses  a  long  sinuous  ledge,  parallel 
with  the  course  of  the  torrent,  until  it  begins  to  enter 
'the  mountains.  Here  the  miry  soil  through  which  their 
horses  had  laboured  with  much  difficulty,  and  the  grey 
sky,  and  the  moist  atmosphere  that  had  hitherto  accom- 
'panied  them,  were  at  once  exchanged  for  a  dry  air,  cold, 
dust,  and  sunshine.  This  sudden  contrast  is  a  pheno- 
menon peculiar  to  elevated  regions. 

Madame  de  Hell  was  strongly  impressed  by  the  wild 
^picturesque  character  of  the  scenery  of  this  part  of  the 
•Caucasus.  At  certain  intervals,  conical  mounds  of  earth, 
about  sixty  feet  high,  stood  conspicuous — watch  towers, 
where  sentinels  are  stationed  day  and  night.  Their 
outlines,  sharply  marked  against  the  sky,  produce  a 
-curious  and  striking  effect  amidst  the  profound  solitude. 
The  sight  of  these  Cossacks,  with  muskets  shouldered, 
pacing  up  and  down  the  small  platform  on  the  summit 
=of  each  eminence,  conveyed  to  the  spectator's  mind  a 
knowledge  of  the  rapid  advance  which  Russian  civiliza- 
tion had  made  into  this  remote  region. 

It  was  mid-October,  but  vegetation  still  retained  its 
'freshness.  The  steep  mountain  sides  were  covered  with 
rich  greenswards,  which  afforded  abundant  pasture  for 
the  scattered  flocks  of  goats.  Their  keepers,  clothed 
»in  sheepskins,  and  carrying,  instead  of  the  traditional 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  87 

crook,  long  guns  slung  across  their  shoulders,  with  two 
or  three  powder  and  ball  cases  at  their  waists,  seemed  in 
strange  contrast  to  the  pastoral  sentiment  of  the  land- 
■scape.  Gigantic  eagles,  roused  from  their  eyries,  swept 
with  heavy  wing  from  crag  to  crag,  the  monarchs  of  these 
solitudes.  Here  our  travellers  really  looked  out  upon 
those  features  of  the  Caspian  wilderness  on  which  their 
imaginations  had  so  often  dwelt. 

Of  the  Circassian  inhabitants  of  this  mountain  region, 
before  they  were  completely  subjugated  by  the  despotism 
of  the  white  Czar,  Madame  de  Hell  furnishes  a  graphic 
account.  Bred  amid  the  sights  and  sounds  of  war  they 
went  always  well  armed,  carrying  a  rifle,  a  sabre,  a  long 
dagger,  which  they  wore  in  front,  and  a  pistol  in  the  belt. 
Their  picturesque  costume  consisted  of  tight  pantaloons, 
and  a  short  tunic,  which  was  belted  round  the  waist,  and 
had  cartridge  pockets  worked  on  the  breast ;  a  round 
laced  cap,  encircled  with  a  black  or  white  border  of 
•long-wooled  sheepskin,  formed  their  head-gear.  In  cold 
or  rainy  weather,  they  wore  a  bashlik^  or  hood,  and  a 
bourka,  or  cloak,  of  impervious  felt.  They  were  bold 
and  skilful  riders,  and  their  horses,  though  small,  were 
Temarkable  for  spirit  and  endurance.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  Circassian  horseman  would  cover  twenty-five  or 
■even  thirty  leagues  of  ground  in  a  night  When  pursued 
by  the  Russians,  they  would  leap  the  most  rapid 
torrents.  If  their  steeds  were  young,  and  unaccustomed 
to  such  perilous  exploits,  they  would  gallop  them  up  to 
the  brink  of  the  ravine,  cover  the  head  with  their  bourkas. 


88  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

and  then  dash,  almost  always  without  mishap,  down 
precipices  from  twenty  to  fifty  feet  in  depth. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  on  their  address  in  the  use 
of  fire-arms  and  of  their  two-edged  daggers.  Armed  only 
with  the  latter  weapon,  they  were  often  known,  during 
their  long  and  heroic  struggle  for  independence,  to  leap 
their  horses  over  the  Muscovite  bayonets,  stab  the 
soldiers,  and  break  up  and  put  to  flight  their  serried 
battalions.  When  surrounded  in  their  forts  or  villages, 
and  shut  out  from  all  hope  of  escape,  they  frequently 
sacrificed  their  wives  and  children — like  the  Jews  in  the 
last  agonies  of  their  war  with  Rome — set  fire  to  their 
dwellings,  and  perished  heroically  in  the  flames.  With 
true  Oriental  devotedness  they  stand  by  their  dead  and 
wounded  to  the  last  extremity,  and  fight  with  the  most 
dogged  courage  to  prevent  them  from  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  enemy. 

Madame  de  Hell  is  not  disposed  to  endorse  the 
reputation  for  beauty  which  so  many  writers  have  agreed 
in  bestowing  upon  the  Circassian  women.  She  con- 
siders them  even  inferior,  physically,  to  the  men.  "  It  is 
true,"  she  says,  "  we  were  unable  to  visit  any  of  the  great 
centres  of  population,  or  to  travel  amongst  the  indepen- 
dent tribes,  but  we  saw  several  aouls  on  the  banks  of  the 
Kouban,  and  were  entertained  in  a  princely  family,  and 
nowhere  did  we  meet  with  any  of  those  surpassing 
beauties  whom  more  fortunate  travellers  have  celebrated." 
What  she  did  observe  in  those  daughters  of  the 
Tifiuntains   was   the   elegance  of  their   shape   and   the 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  89 

natural  grace  of  their  movements.  A  Circassian  woman 
is  never  awkward.  Dressed  in  rags  or  in  brocade,  she 
never  fails  to  assume,  spontaneously  and  without  thought 
of  display,  the  most  graceful  and  picturesque  attitudes. 
"  In  this  respect,"  says  Madame  de  Hell,  "  she  is  un- 
questionably superior  to  the  highest  efforts  of  fascination 
which  Parisian  art  can  achieve." 

A  visit  to  the  family  of  a  Circassian  prince  "at  home  *' 
is  thus  narrated  by  our  travellers 

The  dwelling  was  a  wretched  mud  hut,  in  front  of 
which,  on  a  mat,  lay  the  prince  in  his  shirt,  and  bare- 
footed. He  received  his  visitors  very  hospitably,  and 
after  the  usual  courtesies  proceeded  to  make  his  toilette. 
He  sent  for  his  finest  garments  and  costliest  "  leg  gear,"" 
girded  on  his  weapons,  and  then  led  the  way  into  his 
"interior,"  which  was  as  bare  and  unfurnished  as  any 
Connemara  peasant's  cabin,  the  only  objects  visible  being 
a  saddle,  a  few  vessels,  and  a  divan  covered  with  reed 
matting.  His  guests  having  rested  for  a  i^^  minutes, 
the  prince  introduced  them  to  his  wife  and  daughter, 
who  had  been  apprised  of  their  arrival,  and  were  anxious 
to  see  them. 

These  ladies  occupied  a  hut  of  their  own,  consisting, 
like  the  prince's,  of  a  single  room.  They  rose  at  the 
entrance  of  their  visitors,  and  saluted  them  with  much 
grace;  then,  motioning  them  to  be  seated,  the  mother 
sat  down  in  the  Turkish  fashion  on  her  divan,  while 
her  daughter  reclined  against  the  couch  on  which  the 
strangers  had  taken  their  places.     They,  when  the  re- 

6 


90  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

ception  was  over,  remarked  with  surprise  that  the  prince 
had  not  crossed  the  threshold,  but  had  simply  put  his 
head  in  at  the  door  to  answer  their  questions  and 
converse  with  his  wife.  The  explanation  afforded  was, 
that  a  Circassian  officer  cannot,  consistently  with  honour, 
enter  his  wife's  apartment  during  the  day,  and  it  seems 
that  in  aU  families  with  the  slightest  pretension  to  distinc- 
tion this  rule  is  rigorously  observed. 

A  greater  appearance  of  conifort  was  observable  in 
the  princess's  apartment  than  in  her  husband's,  as  might 
well  be  the  case.  It  contained  two  large  divans,  the  silk 
cushions  of  which  were  gay  with  gold  and  silver 
embroidery,  carpets  of  painted  felt,  several  trunks,  and 
a  very  pretty  work-basket.  A  small  Russian  mirror  and 
the  prince's  armorial  trophies  formed  the  decoration 
of  the  walls.  But  the  floor  was  not  boarded,  the  walls 
were  rough  plastered,  and  the  only  provision  for  light 
and  air  were  two  little  holes  furnished  with  shutters.  The 
princess,  a  woman  apparently  between  five-and-thirty 
and  forty  years  of  age,  was  by  no  means  fitted  to 
sustain  the  Circassian  reputation  for  beauty.  Her  dress 
had  a  character  of  its  own  :  under  a  brocaded  pelisse, 
with  short  sleeves  and  laced  seams,  she  wore  a  silk 
chemise,  which  displayed  more  of  the  bosom  than 
European  notions  of  decorum  would  approve.  A  velvet 
cap,  trimmed  with  silver,  smooth  plaits  of  hair,  cut  heart- 
shape  on  the  forehead,  a  white  veil  falling  from  the  top 
of  the  head  and  covering  over  the  bosom,  and,  finally,  a 
red  shawl  thrown  carelessly  over  the  lap — voild  tout !     As 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  91 

for  the  daughter,  she  was  charming.  She  wore  a  white 
robe  fastened  round  the  waist  by  a  red  kazavek.  Her 
features  were  delicate  ;  she  had  a  complexion  of  ex- 
quisite fairness,  revealing  the  play  of  "the  pure  and 
eloquent  blood  "  which  "  spoke  in  her  cheek,  and  so  dis- 
tinctly wrought  tliat  one  might  almost  say  her  body 
thought  f  and  a  profusion  of  glossy  raven  tresses 
escaped  from  under  her  cap. 

Beyond  all  praise  was  the  geniality  of  the  two  ladies. 
About  the  country  of  their  visitors,  their  calling,  and  the 
objects  of  their  journey,  they  put  a  thousand  questions. 
The  European  costume,  and  especially  the  straw  hats, 
interested  them  greatly.  Yet  there  was  a  certain  air  of 
coldness  and  impassiveness  about  them,  and  not  once 
did  the  princess  smile,  until  a  long  curtain  accidentally 
fell,  and  shut  her  out  for  a  moment  from  her  guests. 
After  a  short  but  rapid  conversation  the  visitors  asked 
the  princess's  permission  to  take  her  portrait  and  skejtch 
the  interior  of  her  abode.  She  offered  no  objection. 
When  the  drawings  were  finished,  a  collation  was  served, 
consisting  of  fruits  and  cheese-cakes.  In  the  evening, 
the  strangers  took  their  leave,  and,  on  coming  out  of 
the  hut,  they  found  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  aoul 
assembled  to  witness  their  departure  and  do  them 
honour. 

We  must  resume  our  narrative  of  Madame  de  Hell's 
journey.  On  their  way  to  Stavropol,  they  experienced 
a  mountain-storm,  one  of  the  grandest  and  most  temnp 


92  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

they  had  ever  witnessed.  The  roar  of  the  thunder,  re- 
peated by  every  echo  in  cavern  and  ravine,  mingled  with 
the  groaning  and  jarring  of  the  great  trees,  with  the 
loud  gusts  of  the  furious  wind,  with  all  those  mysterious 
voices  of  the  tempest  which  come  we  know  not  whence, 
but  deeply  stir  the  heart,  and  have  so  potent  a  harmony 
and  such  a  sublimity  and  force  of  sound  that  the  least 
superstitious  mind  involuntarily  awaits  some  supernatural 
manifestation,  some  message  from  the  other  world.  We 
have  ourselves  listened  to  a  storm  in  a  Highland  glen 
— the  wind  sweeping  down  the  rugged  declivities  with 
terrible  impetuosity,  and  the  thunder-peals  reverberating 
from  peak  to  peak,  while  the  clouds 

**  From  many  a  horrid  rift  abortive  poured 
Fierce  rain  with  lightning  mixed,  water  with  fire,** 

until  the  sense  of  an  eerie  and  mysterious  Presence  has 
forced  itself  upon  our  mind,  and  we  have  been  able  to 
understand  the  emotions  in  which  originated  the  visions 
of  wraith  and  phantom  of  the  bards  of  old.  Our  travellers, 
however,  passed  through  the  gale  unhurt.  A  tremendous 
outburst  of  rain,  the  final  effort  of  the  tempest,  cleared 
the  sky,  which  towards  the  west  was  gradually  lighted  up 
with  gleams  of  purple  light,  contrasting  gloriously  with 
the  darkness  of  the  rest  of  the  firmament.  A  gorgeous 
rainbow,  one  foot  of  which  rested  on  the  highest  peak 
of  the  Caucasus,  while  the  other  was  enveloped  in  the 
mi«;ts  of  evening,  rose  before  them  for  a  few  moments, 
Ukc  an  image  of  hope,  and  then  slowly  fader"   into  thin 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL,  93 

air.  At  length  they  reached  the  station,  but  in  an  un- 
pleasant condition — wet,  weary,  dazed,  and  not  a  little 
surprised  to  find  themselves  safe  and  sound  after  the 
adventures  of  the  day. 

Descending  the  last  spurs  of  the  Caucasus,  our 
travellers  next  day  entered  upon  the  region  of  the  plains. 
The  road  was  thronged  with  vehicles  of  all  kinds,  horse- 
men, and  pedestrians,  all  hurrying  to  the  great  fair  of 
Stavropol,  and  every  variety  of  type  which  characterizes 
the  peoples  of  the  Caucasus  :  Circassians,  Cossacks, 
Turcomans,  Tartars,  Georgians — some  in  brilliant  cos- 
tumes, caracolling  on  their  high-bred  Persian  horses, 
others  huddled  up  with  their  families  in  hide-covered 
carts,  others  again  driving  before  them  immense  herds  of 
sheep  and  swine,  and  others  gravely  leading  a  train  of 
loaded  camels.  Madame  de  Hell  particularly  noticed  a 
handsome  young  Circassian,  mounted  on  a  richly  capari- 
soned horse,  who  rode  constantly  by  the  side  of  an 
unusually  elegant  pavosk  (a  kind  of  litter),  the  curtains  of 
which  were  kept  down.  This  carriage  stimulated  her 
curiosity,  and,  in  such  a  country,  was  well  adapted  to 
suggest  to  a  lively  fancy  the  outlines  of  a  romance. 
No  doubt,  she  thought,  the  pavosk  contained  a  young 
and  beautiful  Circassian,  whose  charms  would  fascinate 
some  Oriental  prince,  and  place  a  queen's  diadem  upon 
her  brow.  At  an  inn,  in  Stavropol,  Madame  de  Hell 
again  fell  in  with  the  Circassian  and  his  mysterious 
charsje,    but  the   latter   was  veiled   from    head  to  foot 


94  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

"The    young   mountaineer,"    she    says,    "prepared    a 
divan   with   cushions  and   pillows   very   like   our   own, 
and,    a    few    moments    afterwards,    returned,    carrying 
in    his    arms   a    woman    completely    shrouded  in    her 
veil  ;    he   placed  her  very   delicately  upon  the  divan, 
and   seated   himself   by  her  side   with  every   mark   of 
tenderness.     Occasionally  he  lifted  the  young  girl's  veil 
to  question  her  in  the  most  respectful  manner.     The 
whole  scene  was  invested  with  a  poetic  charm  which  I 
vainly   endeavour   to   express.      In    the    attitudes,   the 
costume,   the   physiognomy  of  this  little   group,    there 
was  an  Oriental  grace  which  would  have  impressed  a 
painter.     Not  only  was  the  picture  pleasant  to  the  eye, 
but  it  was  suggestive  to  the  imagination.    Unfortunately, 
the  delightful  vision  disappeared  like  a  dream.     A  few 
minutes,  and  in  came  our  host  in  search  of  the  mysterious 
couple,  to  conduct  them  to  a  private  apartment.    Infinite 
precautions  were  taken  in  the  removal  of  the  unknown 
lady,  who  seemed  to  be  on  the    brink   of  the    grave. 
Next  morning  we  questioned  our  host  in  reference  to  the 
incident,  but  he  replied  very  vaguely,  and  all  we  could 
gather  was,  that  the  young  girl  had  come  to  Stavropol  to 
consult  a   famous    physician  respecting   her  condition, 
which  offered  but  little  hope.     We  could  gain  no  infor- 
mation from  them  as  to  the  relations  existing  between 
her  and  the  young  chief,  the  moral  causes  of  her  malady. 
Of,  in  a  word,  the  interesting  part  of  the  story. 


MADAME    HOMMAIRE   DE   HELL. 

IL 

FROM  Stavropol,  a  pleasant  and  lively  town, 
the  capital  of  the  Caucasus,  our  travellers 
journeyed  toward  the  Don  with  singular  rapidity, 
accomplishing  the  distance  of  316  vcrsts,*  in  two-and- 
twenty  hours  They  ate  and  slept  in  their  carriage, 
and  did  not  alight  until  they  reached  the  river-side, 
where  every  kind  of  tribulation  lay  in  wait  for  them. 
Madame  de  Hell  would  afterwards  remark  on  the  strange 
tenacity  with  which  ill-luck  adheres  to  us  when  it  has 
overtaken  us.  At  ten  o'clock  at  night,  when  they  were 
still  at  some  distance  from  the  Don,  they  were  informed 
that  the  bridge  across  it  was  in  a  dangerous  condition, 
and  that  probably  they  would  be  compelled  to  wait  till 
the  next  day  before  they  could  cross.  For  such  a  delay 
they  were  unprepared,  having  calculated  on  a  good 
supper  and  a  good  bed  that  night  under  a  friendly  roof 
in  Rostov.     Another  reason  for  haste  was  the  change  in 

•  A  Tcrst  is  equal  to  3,500  feet. 


96  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

the  weather,  which  had  suddenly  turned  cold  -.  so, 
disregarding  the  information  given  them,  they  continued 
to  push  forward  until  they  reached  the  bridge.  There 
the  signs  of  its  insecure  condition  were  too  numerous  to 
be  denied.  Several  carts  stood  unyoked,  and  peasants 
lay  beside  them,  calmly  waiting  for  daylight.  Then 
was  repeated  the  bad  news  which  had  already  discour- 
aged our  travellers,  and  it  seemed  clear  that  they  would 
have  to  spend  some  hours  in  the  britchka,  exposed  to 
the  chill  night  air,  while,  once  on  the  other  side,  they 
could  reach  Rostov  in  a  couple  of  hours. 

So  influential  a  consideration  carried  the  day.  They 
would  not  halt ;  they  would  cross  the  bridge — though  not 
without  taking  all  due  precautions.  Alighting  from  the 
carriage,  they  allowed  it  to  go  forward,  the  coachman 
driving  slowly,  while  the  Cossack,  with  his  lantern, 
pointed  out  all  the  dangerous  places.  "  I  do  not  think," 
says  Madame  de  Hell,  "  that  in  the  whole  course  of 
my  travels  we  were  ever  in  so  alarming  a  situation.  The 
danger  was  urgent  and  real.  The  cracking  of  the  wood- 
work, the  darkness,  the  noise  of  waters  dashing  through 
the  decayed  floor  that  bent  and  trembled  under  their 
tread,  and  the  cries  of  alarm  uttered  every  moment  by 
the  coachman  and  the  Cossack  might  well  have  filled  us 
with  apprehension  ;  yet  I  do  not  think  that  the  thought 
of  death  ever  occurred,  or,  rather,  my  mind  was  too 
confused  to  formulate  any  thought  at  all.  Frequently 
the  wheels  sank  between  the  broken  planks,  and  these 
were  moments  of  terrible  anxiety ;  but  at  last,  by  dint  of 


AfADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  07 

patient  effort,  we  reached  the  opposite  bank  in  safety, 
^fter  a  passage  of  more  than  an  hour.  I  could  not  have 
-held  out  much  longer ;  the  water  on  the  bridge  was  over 
our  ankles.  The  reader  will  understand  with  what 
satisfaction  we  again  took  our  places  in  the  carriage. 
We  were  then  better  able  to  realize  the  nature  of  the 
perils  we  had  incurred,  and  for  a  moment  almost 
doubted  our  actual  safety.  For  awhile  we  seemed  to 
hear  the  dash  of  the  waters  breaking  against  the  bridge ; 
but  this  feeling  was  soon  dispelled  by  others— the 
night's  adventures  were  by  no  means  at  an  end. 

"  At  some  versts  from  the  Don,"  continues  Madame 
-de  Hell,  "  our  unlucky  star  threw  us  into  the  hands  of  a 
drunken  driver,  who,  after  losing  his  way,  and  jolting  us 
over  ditches  and  ploughed  fields,  actually  brought  us 
back  in  sight  of  the  dreadful  bridge,  the  thought  of  which 
still  made  us  shudder.  We  would  fain  have  persuaded 
■ourselves  that  we  were  mistaken,  but  the  truth  was 
beyond  dispute ;  there  before  us  rolled  the  Don,  and 
yonder  stood  Axai,  the  village  through  which  we  had 
passed  after  reseating  ourselves  in  the  britchka. 
Conceive  our  indignation  at  having  floundered  about  for 
Iwo  hours  only  to  find  ourselves  again  at  our  point  of 
departure  !  The  sole  resource  we  could  think  of  was  to 
pass  the  night  in  a  peasant's  cabin,  but  our  abominable 
•coachman,  whom  the  sight  of  the  river  had  suddenly 
sobered,  and,  perhaps,  the  fear  of  a  sound  thrashing, 
threw  himself  on  his  knees,  and  so  earnestly  implored  us 
to  try  the  road  again^  that  we  consented.     The  diflicmty 


9«  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

was,  hovvto  get  back  into  the  road,  and  many  a  false  start- 
was  made  before  we  effected  it.  In  crossing  a  ditch  the 
carriage  was  so  violently  shaken,  that  the  coachman  and^ 
our  dragoman  were  thrown  from  their  seats,  the  latter- 
falling  upon  the  pole  in  such  a  way  that  he  was  not  easily 
extricated.  His  cries  for  help,  and  his  grimaces  when 
my  husband  and  the  Cossack  had  set  him  on  his  feet,. 
were  so  desperate,  that  one  might  have  supposed  half  his- 
bones  to  be  broken,  though,  in  reality,  he  had  sustained^ 
only  a  few  bruises.  As  for  the  yemshik,  he  picked  him- 
self up  very  composedly,  and  climbed  into  his  seat 
again  as  if  nothing  unusual  had  befallen  him.  From 
the  quiet  way  in  which  he  resumed  the  reins,  one  might 
have  thought  that  he  had  just  risen  from  a  bed  of  roses  ;., 
such  is  the  uniform  apathy  of  the  Russian  peasant ! " 

They  spent  a  week  with  their  friends  at  Taganrog^ 
and  thence  proceeded  to  Odessa,  the  great  commercial 
entrepot  of  the  Euxine.  In  one  night  the  grim  blasts  of 
the  Ural  had  swept  away  all  that  October  had  spared. 
The  weather  was  still  sunny  when  they  arrived  on  the 
shores  of  the  Sea  of  Azov ;  but  next  day  the  sky  wore 
that  sombre  chilly  hue  which  always  precedes  the  mefelsy. 
or  snow-storms.  All  nature  seemed  to  be  prepared  for 
the  reception  of  winter — that  eternal  ruler  of  the  North. 
Its  advent  was  indicated  by  the  thin  ice-crust  that 
covered  the  beach,  the  harsh  winds,  the  frost  bound  soil, 
and  the  increasing  lurid  gloom  of  the  atmosphere; 
symptoms  which  made  our  travellers  apprehensive  of 
possible  suffering  on  their  road  to  Odessa,  their  intended 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  99. 

winter-quarters,   whence   they   were   distant   about    90O' 
versts. 

It  was  indeed  the  worst  season  for  travelling  in  Russia. 
Travellers  have  good  reason  to  fear  the  first  snows, 
which,  as  they  are  not  firm  enough  to  bear  a  sledge,  are- 
almost  every  year  the  cause  of  many  accidents.  The 
winds,  too,  at  this  season  are  excessively  violent,  and 
raise  the  drifts  in  terrific  whirling  snowstorms,  which- 
threaten  the  destruction  of  the  traveller.  Madame  de 
Hell  and  her  husband,  however,  accomplished  their 
journey  in  safety,  though  not  without  enduring  consider- 
able pain  and  anxiety.  Nothing  can  be  more  awful  than, 
the  snowy  wastes  they  were  compelled  to  traverse,  swept 
and  ravaged  as  they  were  by  furious  blasts.  All  trace  of 
man's  existence — all  trace  of  human  labour — is  buried 
beneath  the  great  cold  white  billows,  which  lie  heaped 
upon  one  another,  like  breakers  on  a  stormy  coast. 

Madame  de  Hell  and  her  husband  spent  the  winter  at 
Odessa ;  and  in  the  following  May  departed  on  a  visit  to- 
the  Crimea,  on  board  a  brig  belonging  to  the  consul  of 
the  Netherlands.  Their  voyage  was  short,  but  it  was  not 
unmarked  by  incident,  by  sea-sickness  and  sudden  squalls, 
by  calm  moonlit  nights,  by  something  of  all  the  pain  and 
pleasure  of  the  sea.  At  sunrise  on  the  second  morning, 
the  voyagers  first  caught  sight  of  the  coast  of  that  gloomy 
peninsula  which  the  ancients  stigmatized  as  inhospitable^ 
in  allusion  to  the  cruel  custom  of  its  inhabitants  to- 
rxiassacre  every  stranger  whose  ill-fortune  led  him  thither. 


too  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

The  woes  of  Orestes,  as  depicted  by  the  Greek  poet, 
have  for  ever  made  the  Tauris  famous.  Who  does  not 
'remember  the  painful  beauty  of  that  grand  sad  drama, 
in  which  the  vengeful  cries  of  the  Furies  seem  to  echo 
along  this  wild  and  desert  shore  ?  As  soon  as  Madame 
de  Hell  could  distinguish  the  line  of  rocks  that  traced 
the  vague  horizon,  she  began  to  look  for  Cape  Parthen- 
ik^,  the  traditional  site  of  the  altar  of  the  goddess,  to 
whom  the  young  priestess  Iphigenia  was  on  the  point  of 
sacrificing  her  brother.  Assisted  by  the  captain,  she  at 
length  descried  on  a  rocky  headland  a  solitary  chapel, 
•dedicated,  she  was  told,  to  the  Virgin  Mother.  "  What 
a  contrast,"  she  naturally  remarks,  "  between  the  gentle 
worship  of  Mary  and  that  of  the  sanguinary  Taura,  who 
was  not  content  with  the  mariners'  pra3^ers  and  offerings, 
•but  demanded  human  victims  !  " 

All  this  part  of  the  coast  is  barren  and  bleak ;  a 
barrier  of  rock  seems  to  shut  out  the  stranger  from  the 
•celebrated  peninsula  which  warlike  nations  have  ravaged 
and  commercial  nations  coveted.  Richly  gifted  by 
Nature's  Uberal  hand,  it  has  always  been  an  object  of 
•desire  to  the  people  of  Europe  and  Asia.  Pastoral  races 
have  lusted  after  its  green  mountain  ranges  ;  commercial 
nations  have  striven  to  gain  possession  of  its  ports  and 
straits  ;  warrior  tribes  have  pitched  their  tents  in  its 
fertile  valleys;  and  all  have  craved  a  foothold  in  that 
land  to  which  cling  so  many  glorious  memories  of  the 
Greek  civilization.  But  in  the  eighteenth  century  the 
contention  came  to  an  end,  at  least  so  far  as  political 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         \o\ 

abservers  can  determine,  for  ages,  and  under  the  rule 
of  the  Russian  Czar,  the  Crimea  has  long  enjoyed  a 
profound  tranquillity.* 

"So  that,"  as  Mr.  Kinglake  puts  it,  '*  the  peninsula 
wrhich  divides  the  Euxine  from  the  Sea  of  Azov  was  an 
almost  forgotten  land,  lying  out  of  the  chief  paths  of 
merchants  and  travellers,  and  far  away  from  all  the 
capital  cities  of  Christendom.  Rarely  went  thither  any 
one  from  Paris,  or  Vienna,  or  Berlin ;  to  reach  it  from 
London  was  a  harder  task  than  to  cros  >  the  Atlantic ; 
and  a  man  of  office  receiving  in  this  distant  province 
his  orders  despatched  from  St.  Petersburg,  was  the  ser- 
vant of  masters  who  governed  him  from  a  distance  of 
a  thousand  miles. 

"  Along  the  course  of  the  little  rivers  which  seamed 
the  ground,  there  were  villages  and  narrow  belts  of  tilled 
land,  with  gardens  and  fruitful  vineyards ;  but  for  the 
most  part  this  neglected  Crim-Tartary  was  a  wilderness 
of  steppe  or  of  mountain-range,  much  clothed  towards 
the  west  with  tall  stiff  grasses,  and  the  stems  of  a  fragrant 
herb  like  southernwood.  The  bulk  of  the  people  were 
of  Tartar  descent,  but  no  longer  what  they  had  been  in 
the  days  when  nations  trembled  at  the  coming  of  the 
Golden  Horde;  and  although  they  yet  hold  to  the 
Moslem  faith,  their  religion  has  lost  its  warlike  fire. 
Blessed  with  a  dispensation  from  military  service,  and  far 
away  from  the  accustomed   battle-fields  of  Europe  and 

•  Except  who'll  broken  by  the  war  of  1855. 


102  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

-Asia,  they  li\ed  ii:  quiet,  knowing  little  of  war  except 
what  tradition  could  faintly  carry  down  from  old  times  m 
low  monotonous  chants.  In  their  husbandry  they  were 
.more  governed  by  the  habits  of  their  ancestors  than  by 
the  nature  of  the  land  which  had  once  fed  the  people  ot 
Athens,  for  they  neglected  tillage  and  clung  to  pastoral 
4ife.  Watching  flocks  and  herds,  they  used  to  remain  on 
the  knolls  very  still  for  long  hours  together,  and  when 
they  moved,  they  strode  over  the  hills  in  their  slow- 
flowing  robes  with  something  of  the  forlorn  majesty  of 
-peasants  descended  from  warriors  "  * 

Into  this  secluded  and  remote  peninsula  Madame  de 
Hell  and  her  husband  carried  their  rare  powers  of  obser- 
vation and  description.  They  landed  at  Balaklava, 
since  so  famous  in  the  annals  of  the  British  army,  for 
it  was  there  that  "  the  thin  red  line  "  resisted  unmoved 
all  the  fury  and  force  of  the  Muscovite  hosts.  Its 
appearance  from  the  sea  is  very  attractive,  for  its  port  is 
-surrounded  with  mountains,  the  highest  of  which  still 
retains  a  memorial  of  the  old  Genoese  dominion,  while  in 
part  of  its  blue  expanse  lies  the  pretty  Greek  town,  with 
its  balconied  houses  and  masses  of  foliage  rising  in 
terraces  one  above  the  other.  Above  it  towers  a  ruined 
castle,  whence  the  Genoese,  in  their  days  of  supremacy, 
-scanned  with  vulture-gaze  the  sweep  of  sea,  prepared  to 


*  A.  W.  Kinglake  :    "  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,"    Vol.  i.,   c.  I, 
'6th  editioa. 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         103 

ipounce  upon  any  hapless  vessel  wind-driven  into  these 
vraters.  It  was  Sunday  when  our  travellers  arrived,  and 
the  whole  pooulation  were  holiday  making  on  the  green 
shore  or  greener  heights.  (Jroups  of  mariners,  Arnaouts 
in  their  quaint  costume,  and  girls  as  graceful  of  shape 
-as  those  who  of  old  joined  in  the  choric  dances  of 
■Cytherea,  wound  their  way  up  the  steep  path  to  the 
fortress,  or  tripped  in  mirthful  measures  to  the  shrill 
music  of  a  balalaika. 

The  day  after  their  arrival  at  Balaklava  they  undertook 
a  boating  excursion  to  explore  the  geological  formation 
•of  the  coast,  and  landed  in  a  delightful  little  cove, 
■embowered  amid  flowering  trees  and  shrubs.  On  their 
•return  the  boatmen  decked  themselves  and  their  boat 
with  wreaths  of  hawthorn  and  blossoming  apple  sprays, 
so  that  they  entered  the  harbour  with  much  festal  pomp. 
In  her  poetic  enthusiasm,  Madame  de  Hell,  as  she 
gazed  upon  the  cloudless  sky  and  the  calm  blue  sea 
and  the  Greek  mariners,  who  thus,  on  a  foreign  shore, 
and  after  the  lapse  of  so  many  centuries,  retained  the 
graceful  customs  of  their  ancestors,  could  not  but  be 
Teminded  of  the  deputations  that  were  wont  every  year 
to  enter  the  Piraeus,  the  prows  of  their  vessels  bright 
with  festoons  of  flowers,  to  share  in  the  gorgeous 
festivals  of  Athens. 

From  Balaklava  the  travellers  proceeded  to  Sevas- 
topol, of  vvhich  Madame  de  Hell  supplies  an  excellent 
-description,  necessarily  rendered  valueless,  however,  by 


104  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

the  events  of  the  Crimean  war.  She  speaks  ot  its. 
harbour  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  in  Europe.  It 
owes  all  its  excellence  to  Nature,  which  has  here,  without 
assistance  from  the  science  of  the  engineer,  provided  a 
magnificent  roadstead,  the  branches  of  which  form  a 
number  of  basins  admirably  adapted  for  the  requirements 
of  a  great  naval  station.  The  whole  expanse  of  this 
noble  harbour  is  commanded  from  the  upper  part  of  the 
town.  The  roadstead  first  catches  the  eye  ;  it  stretches 
east  and  west,  penetrates  inland  to  a  depth  of  four  miles 
and  three-quarters,  with  a  mean  breadth  of  i,ooo  yards  ; 
and  forms  the  channel  of  communication  between 
Sevastopol  and  the  interior  of  the  peninsula.  The 
northern  shore  is  girt  by  a  line  of  cliffs  ;  the  southern 
shore,  broken  up  by  numerous  natural  basins.  To  the 
east,  at  the  very  foot  of  the  hill  on  which  the  town  stands, 
lies  South  Bay,  nearly  two  miles  in  length,  and  com- 
pletely sheltered  by  high  limestone  cliffs.  Beyond  lies 
the  dockyard,  and  the  dock,  which  is  of  great  extent ;  and 
to  the  west  may  be  seen  Artillery  Bay. 

In  spite  of  the  historical  interest  which  now  attaches  to 
Sevastopol,  as  the  scene  of  the  crowning  struggle  between 
Russia  and  the  Western  Powers,  the  most  remarkable 
place  in  the  Chersonese  is  Bagtche  Serai,  "  that  ancient 
city  which,  prior  to  the  Muscovite  conquest  of  the 
peninsula,  might  compete  in  wealth  and  power  with  the 
great  cities  of  the  East."  Beautiful  exceedingly  is  the 
approach  to  it,  by  a  road  running  parallel  with  a 
chain  of  heights,  and  clothed  with    luxuriant  orchards,. 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         105 

studded  with  village  and  farm,  and  brightened  by  the 
sheen  of  brooks.  Owing  to  an  ukase  of  Catherine  II., 
which  allowed  the  Tartars  to  keep  possession  of  their 
ancient  capital,  Bagtche  Serai  retains  to  this  day  its 
individuality  of  aspect.  It  is  neither  modernized  nor 
Russianized.  Sauntering  through  its  narrow  streets,  and 
looking  upon  its  mosques,  shops,  and  cemeteries,  the 
traveller  feels  that  the  atmosphere  of  the  East  is  around 
him.  And  amid  the  courts  and  gardens  of  the  old 
palace  he  may  well  believe  himself  transported  to  an 
"  interior  "  in  Bagdad  or  Aleppo. 

This  palace  has  been  celebrated  by  the  muse  of 
Pushkin,  the  Russian  poet ;  in  fine,  it  is  not  possible  to 
do  justice  to  its  charms,  which  seem  to  have  powerfully 
impressed  our  traveller's  susceptible  imagination.  "  It 
is  no  easy  task,"  she  exclaims,  "  to  describe  the  magic  of 
this  superb  and  mysterious  abode,  wherein  the  voluptuous 
Khans  forgot  the  trials  and  sorrows  of  life  :  I  cannot  do 
it,  as  in  the  case  of  one  of  our  Western  palaces,  by 
analyzing  the  style,  the  arrangement,  and  the  details  of 
its  splendid  architecture,  by  deciphering  the  idea  of  the 
artist  in  the  regularity,  grace,  and  simplicity  of  the  noble 
edifice.  All  this  may  easily  be  understood  or  described, 
but  one  needs  something  of  the  poet's  heart  and  brain  to 
appreciate  an  Oriental  palace,  the  attraction  of  which 
lies  not  in  what  one  sees,  but  in  what  one  feels  (and 
imagines  ? ).  I  have  heard  persons  speak  very  con- 
temptuously of  Bagtche  Serai.  *  How '  they  ask,  *  can 
any  one  apply  the  name  of  palace  to  that  cluster   oi 

7 


io6  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLEP 

wooden  houses,  daubed  with  coarse  paintings,  and 
furnished  only  with  divans  and  carpets  ? '  From  this 
point  of  view  they  are  right.  The  positive  cast  of  their 
minds  prevents  them  from  seeing  the  beautiful  in  aught 
ibut  costly  material,  well-defined  forms,  and  highly- 
ipolished  workmanship :  hence,  to  them  Bagtche  Serai . 
must  be  a  mere  group  of  shabby  huts  adorned  with  paltry 
•ornaments,  and  fit  only  for  the  habitation  of  miserable 
Tartars." 

To  this  order  of  minds,  however,  Madame  de  Hell,  as 
we  have  had  abundant  opportunities  of  observing,  did 
•not  belong,  and  Bagtche  Serai  has  justice  done  to  it  at 
>her  hands. 

The  Serai,  or  palace,  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the 
ttown  ;  it  is  enclosed  within  walls  and  a  moat,  and  fills  the 
heart  of  a  valley,  which  is  surrounded  by  irregular  heights. 
Entering  the  principal  court  you  find  yourself  in  the 
rshade  of  flowering  lilacs  and  tall  poplars,  and  on  your  ear 
falls  the  murmur  of  a  fountain,  which  sings  its  monoton- 
•ous  song  beneath  the  willows.  The  palace,  properly  so 
called,  displays  externally  the  usual  irregularity  of  Orien- 
ital  architecture,  but  its  want  of  symmetry  is  forgotten  by 
him  who  surveys  its  broad  colonnades,  its  bright  decora- 
tions, its  fantastic  pavilions,  and  sheltering  groves.  As 
for  the  interior,  it  is  a  page  out  of  the  "  Arabian  Nights." 
In  the  first  hall  is  the  celebrated  Fountain  of  Tears,  to 
which  Pushkin  has  dedicated  a  beautiful  lyric.  It  de- 
rives its  pathetic  name  from  the  sweet  sad  murmur  of  its 
pearly  drops  as  they  fall  upon  the  marble  basin.     The 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         107 

«ombre  and  mysterious  aspect  of  the  hall  stimulates  the 
tendency  in  the  mind  of  the  visitor  to  forget  reality  for 
the  dreams  of  the  imagination.  The  foot  falls  noiselessly 
upon  soft  Egyptian  mats :  the  walls  are  blazoned  with 
sentences  from  the  Koran,  written  in  gold  on  a  black 
ground  in  those  fantastic  Turkish  characters  which  seem 
better  adapted  to  express  the  vagaries  of  a  poetical  fancy 
than  to  become  the  vehicles  of  sober  thought. 

From  the  hall  we  pass  into  a  large  reception-salon, 
where  a  double  row  of  windows  of  richly  stained  glass 
represent  a  variety  of  rural  scenes.  Ceiling  and  doors 
are  richly  gilded  ;  the  workmanship  of  the  latter  is  ex- 
quisite. Broad  divans,  resplendent  with  crimson  velvet, 
run  all  round  the  room.  In  the  centre  a  fountain  springs 
from  a  basin  of  porphyry.  In  this  room  everything  is 
magnificent,  but  its  effect  is  neutralized  by  the  curious 
fashion  in  which  the  walls  are  painted,  their  surface 
being  covered  with  the  inventions  of  a  prolific  fancy  in 
the  shape  of  castles  and  harbours,  bridges,  rivers,  islands 
— all  crowded  together  with  a  sublime  disregard  for 
perspective — while  in  niches  above  the  doors  are  collected 
all  kinds  of  children's  toys,  such  as  wooden  dolls'  houses, 
fruit-trees,  models  of  ships,  and  Uttle  figures  of  men 
writhing  in  a  thousand  contortions.  These  interesting 
objects  were  accumulated  by  one  of  the  last  of  the 
Khans,  who  would  shut  himself  up  every  day  in  this 
room  in  order  to  admire  them.  "  Such  childishness,"  as 
Madame  de  Hell  remarks,  "  so  common  among  the 
Orientals,  would  induce   us    to  form    an  unfavourable 


io8  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER. 

opinion  of  their  intelligence,  were  it  not  redeemed  by 
their  innate  love  of  beauty  and  their  genuine  poetic 
sentiment  We  may  forgive  the  Khans  the  strange 
devices  on  their  walls  in  consideration  of  the  silvery 
fall  of  the  shining  fountain  and  the  adjoining  garden 
with  its  wealth  of  bloom." 

The  hall  of  the  divan  is  of  regal  magnificence;  the 
mouldings  of  the  ceiling,  in  particular,  are  of  exquisite 
delicacy.  But  every  room  has  in  it  many  evidences  of 
the  wealth  and  taste  of  its  former  occupants,  and  all  are 
adorned  with  fountains,  and  the  glow  and  gleam  of 
colour.  Not  the  least  interesting  is  that  which  belonged 
to  the  beautiful  Countess  Potocki.  It  was  her  ill  fate  to 
inspire  with  a  violent  passion  one  of  the  last  of  the 
Crimean  Khans,  who  carried  her  off  and  made  her  abso- 
lute queen  and  mistress  of  his  palace,  in  which  she  lived 
for  ten  years,  struggling  between  her  love  for  an  infidel, 
and  the  penitence  that  brought  her  prematurely  to  the 
grave.  "The  thought  of  her  unhappy  fortune,"  says 
Madame  de  Hell,  "  invested  everything  we  beheld  with 
a  magic  charm.  The  Russian  officer,  who  acted  as  our 
cicerone,  pointed  out  to  us  a  cross  carved  above  the 
mantel-piece  of  the  bedroom.  The  mystic  symbol, 
placed  above  a  crescent,  eloquently  interpreted  the  con- 
dition of  a  life  divided  between  love  and  grief.  What 
tears,  what  conflicts  of  the  heart  and  mind  had  it  not 
beheld  ! " 

The  travellers  passed  through  a  succession  of  gardens 
and  walled  enclosures,  in  the  course  of  their  inspection 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  109 

of  the  various  pavilions,  kiosks,  and  buildings  comprised 
within  the  precincts  of  the  palace.  To  the  one  occupied 
by  the  harem  has  appropriately  been  given  the  name  of 
"  The  Little  Valley  of  Roses."  It  is  a  beautiful  rose- 
bower,  which  echoes  divinely  with  the  sound  of  falling 
waters  and  the  song  of  the  nightingales. 

A  tower  of  considerable  altitude,  with  a  terrace  fronted 
with  gratings  that  can  be  raised  or  lowered  at  will,  over- 
looks the  principal  court.  It  was  erected  to  enable  the 
inmates  of  the  harem  to  watch,  unseen,  the  martial  exer- 
cises that  were  practised  there.  The  prospect  from  the 
terrace,  embracing  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  labyrinth  of 
buildings,  gardens,  and  other  enclosures,  is  very  lovely. 
It  includes  a  panorama  of  the  town  as  it  rises,  tier  upon 
tier,  against  the  background  of  the  sloping  hills.  The 
various  voices  of  the  town  collected  and  reverberated 
within  the  limited  space,  are  heard  distinctly,  especially 
at  hush  of  eve,  when  the  summons  to  prayer  from 
every  minaret  mingles  with  the  bleating  of  the  weary 
flocks,  and  the  cries  of  the  shepherds  returning  from 
their  pastures. 

Before  Madame  de  Hell  quitted  the  Chersonese,  she 
paid  a  visit  to  Karolez,  a  mountain  village  belonging  to 
the  Princess  Adel  Bey,  who  received  her  visitors  with 
admirable  courtesy. 

"The  guest-house  was  prepared  with  the  ostentation 
which  the  Orientals  are  fond  of  displaying  on  all 
occasions.     A  double  row  of  servants  of  all  ages  was 


no  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

drawn  up  in  the  vestibule  when  my  husband  and  1 
dismounted ;  and  one  of  the  eldest  and  also  the  most 
sumptuously  attired,  introduced  us  into  a  saloon  arranged 
in  Oriental  fashion,  with  brightly  painted  walls  and  red 
silk  divans.  The  son  of  the  princess,  a  charming  boy  of 
twelve,  who  spoke  Russian  fluently,  attached  himself  to 
us,  politely  translated  our  orders  to  the  servants,  and  was 
careful  that  we  should  want  for  nothing.  I  gave  him  my 
letter  of  introduction,  which  he  immediately  carried  to 
his  mother,  and  soon  afterwards,  returning,  he  told  me, 
to  my  great  delight,  that  she  would  receive  me  when 
she  had  completed  her  toilette.  In  my  eager  curiosity 
I  now  counted  every  minute,  until  an  officer  followed 
by  an  aged  female,  veiled,  came  to  usher  me  into  the 
mysterious  palace  of  which,  as  yet,  I  had  seen  only  the 
lofty  outer  wall. 

"  My  husband,  as  we  had  preconcerted,  attempted  to 
follow  us,  and,  no  impediment  being  offered,  uncere- 
moniously passed  through  the  little  door  into  the  park, 
crossed  the  latter,  boldly  ascended  a  terrace  adjoining 
the  palace,  and  at  last  found  himself — much  surprised  at 
his  extraordinary  good  fortune — in  a  litde  room  that 
seemed  one  of  the  princess's  private  apartments.  Hitherto 
no  male  stranger  except  Count  Worontzov,  had  entered 
the  palace;  the  flattering  and  unlooked-for  exception 
which  the  princess  had  made  in  my  husband's  favour, 
induced  us  to  hope  that  she  would  carry  her  complai- 
sance still  further.  We  were  soon  undeceived.  The 
officer  who  had  acted  as  our  guide,  after  offering  us  iced 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  iii 

water,  sweetmeats,  and  pipes,  took  my  husband  by  the 
hand,  and  conducted  him  from  the  room  with  significant 
celerity.  As  soon  as  he  had  disappeared,  a  curtain  was 
raised  at  the  other  end  of  the  apartment,  and  a  strikingly 
beautiful  woman,  richly  clad,  made  her  entry.  Advancing 
with  a  singularly  dignified  air,  she  took  both  my  hands, 
kissed  me  on  both  cheeks,  and  with  many  friendly 
demonstrations  sat  down  by  my  side.  She  was  highly 
rouged,  her  eyelids  were  painted  black  and  met  over 
the  nose,  communicating  to  her  countenance  a  certain 
sternness,  that,  nevertheless,  did  not  impair  its  agreeable 
character.  To  her  still  elegant  figure  fitted  closely  a 
vest  of  furr3U  velvet.  Altogether  she  was  far  more 
beautiful  than  I  had  imagined. 

"  We  passed  a  quarter  of  an  hour  in  close  examination 
of  each  other,  interchanging  as  well  as  we  could  a  few 
Russian  words  which  very  inadequately  expressed  our 
thoughts.  But  in  such  cases,  looks  supply  the  de- 
ficiencies of  speech,  and  mine  must  have  expressed  the 
admiration  I  felt.  Hers,  I  own,  in  all  humility,  seemed 
to  indicate  much  more  surprise  at,  than  approval  of,  my 
travelling  costume.  What  would  I  not  have  given  to 
know  the  result  of  her  purely  feminine  analysis  of  my 
appearance  !  In  this  tete-a-fite  I  felt  an  inward  twinge 
of  conscience  at  having  presented  myself  before  her  in 
male  attire,  which  must  have  given  her  a  strange  idea  of 
European  fashions. 

"  I  would  fain  have  prolonged  my  visit  in  the  hope  of 
seeing  her  daughters,  but  the  fear  of  appearing  intrusive 


112  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

prompted  me  to  take  my  leave.  Checking  me  with  a 
very  graceful  gesture,  she  said  eagerly,  ^  Fas  toy  I  PastoyP 
(Stay,  stay  ! )  and  clapped  her  hands  several  times.  At 
the  signal  a  young  girl  entered,  who,  by  her  mistress's 
orders,  threw  open  a  folding  door,  and  immediately  I  was 
silent  with  surprise  and  admiration  at  the  brilliant  appa- 
rition before  me.  Let  the  reader  imagine  the  most 
beautiful  sultanas,  or  *  lights  of  the  harem,'  of  whom  poet 
and  artist  have  endeavoured  to  give  the  presentment,  and 
his  conception  will  still  fall  far  short  of  the  enchanting 
models  on  whom  my  gaze  rested.  Each  of  these  three 
was  as  lovely  and  as  graceful  as  her  companions.  Twr 
wore  tunics  of  crimson  brocade,  embellished  in  fron? 
with  broad  gold  lace.  The  tunics  were  open  and  dis- 
closed beneath  them  cashmere  robes,  with  very  tigh., 
sleeves  terminating  in  gold  fringes.  The  youngest  was 
attired  in  a  tunic  of  azure  brocade,  with  silver  ornaments; 
this  was  the  sole  difference  between  her  dress  and  that 
of  her  sisters.  All  these  had  superb  black  hair,  which 
escaped  in  countless  tresses  from  a  fez  of  silver  filagree, 
set  like  a  diadem  over  their  ivory  foreheads ;  they  wore 
gold  embroidered  slippers  and  wide  trousers  drawn  close 
at  the  ankle. 

"Skins  of  such  dazzling  purity,  eyelashes  of  such 
length,  a  bloom  of  youth  so  delicate,  I  had  never  before 
looked  upon.  The  calm  repose  that  breathed  from  their 
lovely  countenances  had  never  been  disturbed  by  any 
profane  glance.  None  but  their  mother  had  ever  told 
them   that   they   were   beautiful ;     and    this    reflection 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL,         113 

■enhanced  the  charm  of  their  beauty  in  my  eyes.  In  our 
Europe,  where  women,  exposed  to  the  gaze  of  crowds,  so 
quickly  learn  the  art  of  coquetry,  the  imagination  would 
not  be  able  to  form  such  a  type  of  loveliness.  The 
features  of  our  maidens  are  too  soon  affected  by  the 
vivacity  of  their  impressions,  for  the  artist's  eye  to  have 
•any  chance  of  discovering  in  them  that  divine  grace  of 
beauty  and  ignorance  which  so  profoundly  impressed 
jme  in  the  Tartar  princesses.  After  embracing  me  they 
withdrew  to  the  end  of  the  room,  where  they  remained 
standmg  in  those  graceful  Oriental  attitudes  no  woman 
•of  the  West  can  imitate.  A  dozen  attendants,  shrouded 
in  white  muslin,  were  gathered  round  the  door,  and 
regarded  the  scene  with  respectful  curiosity.  This  de- 
•lightful  vision  lasted  an  hour.  UTien  the  princess  saw 
that  I  had  determined  on  takmg  my  leave,  she  made 
signs  that  I  should  go  and  see  her  garden  :  but,  though 
gratefully  acknowledging  the  courteous  attention,  I 
prepared  to  rejoin  my  husband  immediately,  being  im- 
patient to  relate  to  him  all  the  particulars  of  the  inter- 
view with  which  I  was  completely  dazzled.'' 

The  Crimea  is  not  without  its  memorable  places. 
Madame  de  ^ell  refers  to  Parthenit,  where  still  flourishes 
the  great  hazel  under  which  the  Prince  de  Ligne  wrote 
to  the  modem  Messalina,  Catherine  II.  ;  Gaspra,  the 
residence  for  some  years  of  Madame  de  Krudener,  the 
Deautiful  mystic  and  religious  enthusiast  who  exercised 
^o   powerful   an    influence   over    the    Czar    Alexander; 


114  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Koreis,  the  retreat  of  the  Princess  Galitzin,  the  soul  oi* 
so  many  strange  political  intrigues,  and  afterwards  one 
of  the  associates  of  Madame  de  Krudener,  and  the  small 
villa  on  the  seashore,  near  Delta,  beneath  the  roof  of 
which  died,  in  1823,  the  soi-disant  Countess  Guacher,. 
now  known  to  have  been  none  other  than  the  notorious 
Madame  de  Lamotte,  who  figured  in  the  strange 
romantic  history  of  "  The  Diamond  Necklace,"  and  as- 
an  accomplice  of  Cagliostro  was  whipped  in  the  Place 
de  Grfeve,  and  branded  on  both  shoulders  with  a  V  for 
Voleuse,  Thief.* 

At  Soudagh,  a  valley  near  Oulou-Ouzon,  Madame  de 
Hell  visited  one  of  the  most  remarkable  women  of  her 
time,  Mademoiselle  Jacquemart,  of  whom  a  long  but  not 
wholly  accurate  biographical  sketch  appears  in  the  Due 
de  Raguse's  "  Excursion  en  Crimde." 

Few  women  have  had  a  more  eccentric  career.  In^ 
her  early  years  her  beauty,  her  wit,  and  her  talents 
gained  her  a  degree  of  fame  such  as  rarely  attaches  to 
one  in  the  humble  position  of  a  governess.  From  the 
age  of  sixteen,  when  she  removed  from  Paris  to  St. 
Petersburg,  and  entered  upon  a  professional  life,  she- 
enjoyed  an  unparalleled  social  distinction.  Suddenly,, 
for  no  reason  apparent  to  the  world  at  large,  she  retreated 
to  the  Crimea,  abandoning  everything  in  which  she  had 
hitherto  delighted,  and  voluntarily  sentencing  herself  to- 


•  See  Carlyle's  "Biographical  Essays,  §  Diamond  Necklace;* 
also,  H.  Vizetelly's  "True  Story  of  the  Diamond  Necklace." 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.  115- 

A  seclusion  which  to  her,  of  all  women,  it  might  have: 
been    thought,    would    have    proved   most   distasteful. 
Seeing  her   in    the    semi-masculine    costume,   studying, 
geology,  painting,  music,  and  poetry,  without  the  shadow 
of  a  pretension,  one  could  not  help  asking  oneself  in- 
what  mysterious  drama  her  strange  existence  had  been 
involved.     Having   been  apprised,  the  day  before,   of* 
Madame  de  Hell's  intended  visit,  she  hastened  to  meet 
her,  and  received  her  with  an  unaffectedly  cordial  wel- 
come.   Her  guest  could  not  look  at  her,  however,  A^-ithout. 
a  feeling  of  astonishment.    Attired  in  a  long  brown  petti- 
coat, and  a  vest  which  concealed  her  figure,  she  wore 
a  manly  virile   aspect,   according  thoroughly   with  the- 
character  of  the  life  she  had  adopted. 

Her  cottage  consisted  of  a  single  room  on  the 
ground  floor,  which  served  as  dining-room,  drawing-room,, 
and  bedroom ;  it  was  adorned  with  a  guitar,  a  violin- 
case,  a  collection  of  animals,  art-objects,  and  arms. 
The  exceeding  solitariness  of  her  dwelling  exposed  her 
to  frequent  attacks  by  night,  and  hence  a  brace  of 
pistols  always  hung  at  the  head  of  her  bed.  Her  fruit, 
her  poultry,  and  even  her  vines  suffered  from  prowling 
depredators ;  she  was  continually  on  the  watch,  and 
especially  had  to  guard  against  a  repetition  of  the  cruel 
attempt  to  which  on  one  occasion  she  nearly  fell  a. 
victim. 

Her  account  of  this  affair  was  as  follows  : — Two  days^ 
before  it  occurred,  a  Greek  applied  to  her  for  work  and 
food.    The  former  she  was  unable  to  give  ;  the  latter  she 


ii6  .   WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

would  never  deny.  The  next  day  but  one,  as  she  was 
returning  in  the  twihght  from  a  geological  excursion, 
carrying  in  her  hand  a  small  hatchet  which  she  used  for 
breaking  stones,  she  discovered  that  this  man  was 
walking  behind  her  stealthily.  Turning  to  look  in  his 
face,  she  found  herself  at  the  same  moment  grasped 
round  the  waist — the  hatchet  was  snatched  from  her 
•hand — and  blow  after  blow  was  rained  on  her  head 
until  she  fell  to  the  ground  in  a  swoon.  When  she 
recovered  consciousness,  the  assassin  had  disappeared. 
How  she  reached  home  with  her  skull  fractured  she 
never  could  explain.  For  months  her  life  was  in  peril, 
and  her  reason  trembled  in  the  balance.  At  the  time  of 
Madame  de  Hell's  visit  she  still  suffered  acutely  from 
some  fragments  of  a  comb  that  remained  in  her  head. 

Remote  from  the  ordinary  track  as  was  Mademoiselle 
Jacquemart's  lonely  dwelling,  many  persons  were  drawn 
to  it  by  the  attraction  of  her  singular  story.  Not  long 
before,  a  young  and  handsome  lady,  incognita,  but 
evidently  of  high  birth,  had  spent  a  whole  day  there. 
Her  curiosity  greatly  excited,  Mademoiselle  Jacquemart 
5aid  to  her  on  her  departure,  smilingly,  "  Queen  or 
•shepherdess,  leave  me  your  name,  that  it  may  always 
recall  to  me  one  of  the  most  delightful  souvenirs  of  my 
hermit-life." 

"  Well,"  replied  the  unknown,  in  the  same  spirit,  *'  pass 
«ie  your  album,  and  you  shall  know  me  as  a  very  sincere 
admirer  of  your  merit." 

She  immediately  wrote  a  few  lines  in  the  album  and 


MADAME  HO  MM  AIRE  DE  HELL,         117 

departed  in  haste,  while  Mademoiselle  Jacquemart  was 
reading  the  following  quatrain,  improvised  in  her  honour 
by  the  Princess  Radzivil  : — 

"Reine  oil  bergere  je  voudrais 
Dans  ce  doux  lieu  passer  ma  vie, 
Partageant  avec  vous,  amie, 
Ou  ma  cabane  ou  mon  palais." 

[Queen  or  shepherdess,  I  fain 
In  this  sweet  spot  my  life  would  spend. 
Sharing  with  thee,  gentle  friend, 
Or  palace  grand  or  cottage  plain.  J 

Before  quitting  the  Crimea,  Madame  de  Hell  visited 
another  distinguished  woman,  also  a  solitary,  who,  in  a 
terribly  tragic  scene,  had  nearly  lost  her  life.  The 
Baroness  Axinia  lived  at  Oulou-Ouzon,  and  this  was  her 
story  : 

She  was  married  at  a  very  early  age  to  a  man  much 
older  than  herself.  The  ill-assorted  union  was  as  un- 
happy as  such  unions  generally  are.  The  Baroness 
Axinia  was  beautiful,  and  drew  around  her  a  crowd  of 
admirers,  whose  flatteries  she  did  not  reject,  though 
it  does  not  appear  that  she  listened  to  professions 
of  love  which  could  have  dishonoured  her.  In  a 
jealous  frenzy,  not  unnatural  in  the  circumstances,  her 
husband  struck  her  with  his  dagger,  and  at  the  same 
time  killed  a  young  man  whom  for  a  long  time  he  had 
regarded  as  a  friend.  The  result  was  an  immediate 
separation.  The  Baron  settled  upon  her  a  considerable 
estate,  and,  in  addition,  a  handsome  income.     She  had 


>ii8  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

■'the  consolation,  moreover,  of  being  allowed  to  retain  by 
her  side  the  youngest  of  her  daughters,  and  thenceforth 
-she  resigned  herself  to  a  life  of  solitude,  keeping  hid 
within  her  bosom  the  secret  of  her  sorrow,  her  regret, 
and,  perhaps,  her  remorse. 

Ten  years  passed,  and  the  baroness  never  crossed 
'the  borders  of  her  estate.  This  self-imposed  penance, 
so  rigidly  observed,  may  be  accepted,  we  think,  as  a 
sufficient  acknowledgment  of  the  errors  of  her  thought- 
dess  youth. 

"  At  our  first  interview,"  says  Madame  de  Hell,  "  she 
seemed  to  me  a  little  timid,  nay,  even  wild  (sauvage) — a 
circumstance  amply  justified  by  her  exceptional  position. 
But,  in  the  course  of  a  few  days,  this  constraint  passed 
away,  and  a  warm  intimacy  sprang  up  between  us. 

"  From  the  first  days  of  my  visit,  I  remarked  with 
lively  surprise  that  our  hostess  was  incessantly  assailed 
by  a  crowd  of  pretty  tomtits,  who  pecked  at  her  hair 
and  hands  with  truly  extraordinary  familiarity.  The 
baroness,  after  enjoying  my  astonishment,  told  me  that 
two  years  before  she  had  brought  up  a  couple  of  tomtits, 
and  given  them  their  liberty ;  and  that,  in  the  following 
year,  the  couple  returned  with  their  brood,  who  were 
easily  taught  to  take  their  food  from  the  hands  of  their 
charming  protectress.  Other  birds  soon  imitated  their 
example,  and  thus  the  beautiful  solitary  came  to 
represent,  undesignedly,  one  of  the  most  charmmg 
creations  of  Georges  Sand,  the  bird-charmer,  in  her 
novel  of  *  Tdverino.'  " 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         \m 

In  one  of  her  walks  with  Madame  de  Hell,  the 
'baroness  conducted  her  new  friend  to  the  scene  of  the 
tragic  drama  which  had  broken  up  her  life.  The  house, 
-entirely  abandoned  by  the  Baron,  was  inhabited  only  by 
A  Tartar,  its  guardian  —a  man  of  wild  and  gloomy  aspect, 
whom  the  sight  of  his  mistress  seemed  to  stupefy. 
While  he  was  opening  the  doors  and  windows,  which  had 
been  kept  closed  since  the  fatal  catastrophe,  a  wretched 
half-starved  looking  dog,  shivering  in  spite  of  the  sun- 
shine, crawled  out  of  a  comer,  the  wonderful  instinct 
•of  these  animals  having  made  him  conscious  of  the 
presence  of  bis  mistress.  The  latter,  overwhelmed 
with  emotion,  burst  into  tears  :  "  Poor  Salghir  ! 
poor  Salghir  ! "  she  cried,  and  was  unable  to  utter 
another  word. 

When  she  had  recovered  herself,  she  turned  to 
Madame  de  Hell,  and  bade  her  observe  how  the  seal 
•of  sorrow  and  forgetfulness  was  set  upon  everything. 
Formerly  the  very  stones  of  the  court  had  breathed  of  life, 
-and  sunshine,  and  youth ;  formerly  that  poor  dog  had 
been  bright  and  well-favoured,  and  as  happy  as  are  all 
things  that  are  loved.  "  But  now,"  she  exclaimed,  "  look 
at  these  ruins,  these  crawling  mosses;  yonder  shattered 
wall,  the  grass  which  has  obliterated  the  traces  of  my 
footsteps,  and  agree  with  me  that  a  kind  of  curse  weighs 
upon  the  spot  One  feels,  one  divines  that  life  has  been 
arrested  here  by  one  of  those  fatal  crises  which  involve 
everything  in  ruin.  Alas,  this  house  is  a  striking  proot 
•of  it !    It  had  a  youth,  a  freshness,  a  coquettishness  of  itP 


I20  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

own,  when  I  was  young,  and  fair,  and  a  coquette ;  now- 
it  is  gloomy,  dank,  degraded     .     .     .     ." 

"  Because  you  are  old  and  ugly  ?  "  said  Madame  de 
Hell,  smiling,  "is  not  that  the  logical  consequence  of 
your  reasoning  !  But,  you  see,  the  first  looking-glass 
would  flatly  contradict  it.  Come,  in  spite  of  the  some- 
what greenish  hue  of  our  surroundings,  look  at  that 
soft,  gentle,  and  still  youthful  countenance,  those  bril- 
liant eyes,  that  flowing  hair,  and  tell  me  if  it  be  all  in 
harmony  with  the  unattractive  aspect  of  the  scene 
before  you." 

"  Oh,  undoubtedly  I  have  not  yet  arrived  physically," 
she  answered  with  a  faint  smile,  "  at  this  degree  of  old 
age,  but  if  you  could  read  to  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
you  would  see  it  as  gloomy  and  as  desolate  as  these 
chambers  with  their  want  of  light  and  air." 

The  baroness  led  her  guest  into  every  apartment,, 
explaining  the  destination  of  each  with  feverish  volubility. 
On  entering  her  former  bedchamber,  she  turned  pale,  and 
pointed  with  a  gesture  to  her  husband's  portrait,  separated 
from  her  own  by  an  antique  clock,  the  motionless  hands 
of  which  added  to  the  melancholy  of  the  scene.  Madame 
de  Hell  bestowed  a  long  gaze  on  the  haughty  and  sombre 
countenance  of  the  baron.  His  rough,  strongly-marked 
features  were  the  very  emblem  of  brutal  strength,  and 
she  felt  herself  tremble  all  over  in  thinking  of  what  his 
wife  must  have  suffered  in  the  first  years  of  their  union. 
Her  unhappy  past  seemed  almost  justified  by  the  hard 
ferocious  countenance  of  such  a  husband.     As  for  the 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         12? 

baroness,  there  was  about  her  portrait  a  significantly 
haggard  air.  "  I  carried  her  out,"  says  Madame  de  Hell, 
"upon  the  balcony,  where,  overcome  by  her  emotions,  the 
influences  of  the  place,  and  that  yearning  after  sympathy 
which  is  so  powerful  in  solitude,  she  opened  her  heart  to 
me,  and  told  me  a  simple  but  pathetic  story  of  all  that 
she  had  endured. 

"  The  promise  that  I  would  hold  sacred  the  confidences 
of  that  shattered  heart  compels  me  to  leave  my  narra- 
tive imperfect.  Two  days  later  I  embarked  on  board 
the  steamer  Si.  Nicholas,  gazing  with  inexpressible 
regret  at  the  shores  of  the  Tauric  peninsula  as  they 
gradually  blended  with  the  horizon,  their  broken  out%e 
melting  finally  into  the  mists  of  evening." 

That  Madame  de  Hell  to  a  habit  of  close  and 
profound  observation,  added  very  remarkable  powers  of 
description,  will  be  apparent,  we  think,  fi-om  the  preced- 
ing summary,  brief  as  it  necessarily  is,  of  her  record  ol 
travel  in  the  Caucasus  and  the  Crimea, 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL. 


III. 


MADAME  DE  HELL  and  her  husband  spent 
the  winter  of  1841  at  Odessa.  Thence,  in 
the  following  year,  they  repaired  to  Moldavia  —  a 
country  which  was  just  beginning  to  revive  from  the 
barbarism  and  desolation  in  which  the  Turkish  rule 
had  so  long  condemned  it  to  linger.  Under  the  prudent 
and  energetic  management  of  the  Aga  Assaki,  "The 
Moldavian  Bee  "  and  "  The  Gleaner "  announced  the 
resurrection  of  liberal  thought  and  the  patriotic  sentiment 
in  literary  articles,  nearly  all  signed  by  Moldavian  names 
and  written  in  the  national  language. 

In  the  young  Princess  Morosi,  the  daughter  of  the  Aga 
Assaki,  afterwards  married  to  Edgar  Quinet,  Madame  de 
Hell  learned  to  know  and  love  a  charming  wit  and  a 
rare  beautiful  nature.  She  studied  the  French  poets 
with  assiduity,  and  her  great  ambition  was  to  visit 
France,  little  thinking  that  she  would  one  day  become 

129 


MADAME  HOMMAIRE  DE  HELL.         123 

French   by   her   marriage    with    the    illustrious    French 
writer. 

In  the  Caucasian  steppes  our  traveller's  life  had  been 
singularly  calm  and  serene  ;  in  Moldavia  it  was  agitated 
and  disturbed  by  mundane  occupations,  by  official  re- 
ceptions, balls,  concerts,  dinners,  the  theatre,  and  the 
thousand  and  one  responsibilities  of  social  life.  Worn 
and  weary  with  the  monotonous  round  of  pretended 
pleasures,  she  frequently  looked  back  with  regret  to 
the  solitudes  of  vhe  Caspian.  Yet  the  event  which 
delivered  her  from  it  was  one  that  caused  her  a  very 
keen  anxiety.  Her  husband  was  attacked  by  one 
of  the  malarious  fevers  of  the  Danube,  and  in  order 
to  recover  his  health  was  compelled  to  throw  up  his 
engagement  and  return  to  France,  after  some  years 
of  almost  constant  travel  and  exploration. 

On  their  arrival  they  were  received  with  the  welcome 
earned  by  their  patience  of  investigation  and  strenuous 
pursuit  of  knowledge.  While  the  young  and  already 
celebrated  engineer  was  rewarded  with  the  Cross  of  the 
Legion  of  Honour,  his  wife,  who  had  shared  his 
labours  and  his  perils,  and  co-operated  with  him  in 
the  production  of  his  fine  work  on  the  Steppes,  was 
honoured  with  the  special  attention  of  M.  Villemain,  then 
Minister  of  State.  Shortly  after  her  return  she  gave  to 
the  world  a  volume  of  poetry,  entitled  "  Reveries  of  a 
Traveller,"  a  work  strongly  written,  thoughtful,  and 
emotional,  which  has  never  obtained  the  reputation  it 
fully  deserves. 


124  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

In  1846  the  two  travellers  departed  on  a  second 
expedition  to  the  East,  which  was  cut  short  by  the  pre- 
mature death  of  M.  de  Hell.  His  widow  returned  to 
Paris  towards  the  close  of  1848,  so  crushed  beneath  the 
calamity  that  had  overthrown  her  household  gods,  that,  as 
she  has  since  acknowledged,  she  never  slept  without  the 
hope  that  her  sleep  might  know  no  waking  in  this  world, 
but  might  prove  the  means  of  re-uniting  her  with  her 
beloved  husband.  However,  she  was  of  too  clear  an 
intellect  and  too  strong  of  heart  not  to  recognize  that  the 
ties  of  duty  bound  her  to  this  world  ;  she  had  to  bring 
up  and  educate  her  children,  and  to  complete  and 
publish  the  important  works  her  husband  had  begun. 
While  thus  engaged,  she  contributed  several  articles  od 
the  East  to  the  Presse  and  numerous  other  journals.  In 
1859  she  published  her  own  narrative  of  adventure  and 
travel  in  the  steppes  of  the  Caucasus.  Great  political 
changes  have  occurred  since  Madame  de  Hell's  visit  to 
that  region,  which  have  profoundly  affected  the  character 
of  its  people  and  their  social  polity ;  so  that  her  account 
of  it,  as  well  as  her  account  of  the  Crimea,  must  be  read 
with  the  necessary  allowances.  These,  however,  will  not 
detract  from  Madame  de  Hell's  unquestioned  merit  as 
a  close  and  exact  observer,  endowed  with  no  ordinary 
faculty  of  polished  and  incisive  expression,  and  a  fine 
capacity  for  appreciating  and  describing  the  picturesque 
aspects  of  nature.  She  wields  a  skilful  brush  with  force 
and  freedom ;  her  pictures  are  always  accurate  in  com- 
position and  full  of  coloiu 


MADAME  HO  MM  AIRE  DE   HELL.         125 

Her  later  years  have  shown  no  decay  of  her  resolute 
and  active  spirit.  She  has  accompHshed  a  tour  in 
Belgium,  another  in  Italy,  a  visit  to  London,  and  several 
excursions  into  the  South  of  France.  In  1868  she 
proceeded  to  Martinique,  where  her  eldest  son  had  for 
some  years  been  established.  We  believe  she  has  pub- 
lished her  West  Indian  experiences  and  impressions. 
But  we  have  given  up  to  Madame  de  Hell  a^  much  of 
our  limited  space  as  we  can  spare,  and  now  take  leave 
of  her  with  the  acknowledgment  that  among  modern 
female  travellers  she  deserves  a  high  rank  in  virtue  of 
her  intelligence,  her  sympathies,  and  her  keen  sensibility 
to  all  that  is  beautiful  and  good. 


MADAME   LfiONIE    D'AUNET. 


AMONG  the  crowd  of  lady  travellers  to  whom  this 
nineteenth  century  has  given  birth,  the  able  and 
accomplished  Frenchwoman,  so  widely  known  by  her 
pseudonym  of  Madame  Leonie  d'Aunet,  merits  a  passing 
allusion.  Remove  from  her  the  mask  she  is  pleased 
to  assume  before  the  public,  and  she  stands  revealed  as 
Madame  Biard,  the  wife  of  the  great  humoristic  painter^ 
whose  "  Sequel  of  a  Masquerade,"  "  Family  Concert," 
'*  Combat  with  Polar  Bears,"  and  other  pictures,  are  not 
less  highly  esteemed  by  English  than  by  French  con- 
noisseurs. Bom  about  1820,  she  is  twenty  years  younger 
than  her  husband,  whom,  in  1845,  she  accompanied  in 
his  excursion  to  Spitzbergen ;  an  excursion  which  opened 
with,  by  way  of  prologue,  a  rapid  tour  through  Belgium, 
Holland,  Sweden,  and  Norway.  Of  the  tour  and  the 
excursion  she  has  published  a  brilliant  narrative,  which 
it  is  impossible  to  read  without  pleasure,  so  polished  is 
the  style,  and  so  sharply  defined  are  the  descriptions. 
Her  literary  skill  gives  her  an  advantage  over  the  great 

125 


MADAME  LEONIE  D'AUNET.  u; 

majority  of  female  travellers,  whose  diaries  and  journals, 
from  want  of  it,  are  often  bald,  colourless,  and  diffuse. 
On  the  other  hand,  she  is  deficient  in  sympathy;  she 
judges  rather  with  the  intellect  than  with  the  heart,  which 
is  at  least  as  necessary  to  the  formation  of  a  fair  and 
intelligent  opinion.  Her  mind,  however,  is  so  keen  and 
so  incisive,  so  prompt  to  seize  the  most  curious  facts, 
so  apt  in  discovering  characteristic  details,  that  even 
when  she  speaks  of  places  and  peoples  with  whom  we 
are  all  familiar,  she  compels  us  to  listen,  and  irresistibly 
holds  our  attention.  It  has  been  said  that  in  some 
respects  her  manner  is  that  of  the  elder  Dumas,  but 
while  she  is  more  honest  and  less  given  to  exaggeration 
she  does  not  rise  to  the  same  literary  standard.  The 
famous  author  of  "  Anthony  "  is  still  first  master  in  the 
art,  more  difi&cult  than  the  world  in  general  believes  it 
to  be,  of  recording  the  experiences  of  travel ;  he  is  a 
master  in  it,  because  he  does  not  make  the  attempt, 
which  must  always  be  unsuccessful,  of  minutely  record- 
ing every  particular  that  comes  under  a  traveller's  notice, 
and  because  he  is  gifted  beyond  ordinary  measure 
with  the  art  and  verve  of  the  racofiteur.  Persons  and 
situations  he  knows  how  to  group  in  the  most 
effective  manner;  incidents  assume  their  most  dramatic 
form  ;  scenes  are  worked  up  so  as  to  produce  a  definite 
impression  on  the  reader's  mind. 

Madame  d'Aunet,  as  a  popular  novelist,  knows  when 
writing  that  she  can  count  upon  her  thousands  of 
readers.     But  this  is  a  fact  which  we  wi5;h  she  could  nave 


lt«  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

forgotten  or  ignored.  For,  keeping  it  always  before  her, 
she  is  led  to  weigh  with  critical  timidity  every  word, 
every  phrase,  and  to  elaborate  each  sentence  until,  in  the 
old  Greek  phrase,  we  "  smell  the  oil."  Those  passages 
of  glowing  description  which  at  first  marched  on  so 
freely  and  fully,  come  to  an  abrupt  pause.  The  lan- 
guage, formerly  so  vigorous  and  incisive,  becomes  vague, 
colourless,  hesitating ;  or,  very  frequently,  gets  upon 
stilts  and  assumes  an  air  of  pretentious  affectation.  The 
writer  has  evidently  forgotten,  in  her  over-scrupulous 
regard  for  the  artistic  and  picturesque,  that  nothing  is 
so  attractive  as  simplicity.  And  Madame  d'Aunet  is 
always  most  charming  when  she  is  most  natural — that  is, 
when  she  is  herself;  when  she  writes  spontaneously,  and 
fully  possessed  by  her  subject,  without  casting  anxious 
glances  at  the  reader  to  see  if  he  admires  this  polished 
period  or  catches  that  apt  allusion.  Therefore,  we  are 
compelled  to  indicate  as  a  defect — which,  if  not  very 
great,  might  as  well  have  been  avoided — a  certain 
affectation  and  coquetry  of  style,  displaying  the  solici- 
tude of  the  artist  rather  than  the  frank  simplicity  of  the 
story-teller.  Something  of  this  fault  the  English  reader 
notes  in  Mr.  Kinglake's  "Eothen." 

In  speaking  of  Belghim  and  Holland,  Madame 
d'Aunet  lets  drop  some  felicitous  expressions,  some  preg- 
nant and  rememberable  phrases,  which  give  the  reader 
an  exact  idea  of  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants  and  of 
the  land  they  dwell  in.  The  touch  is  delicate,  but 
always  fixia  and  true. 


MADA\fE  LiONIE  D'AUNET,  129 

As  to  the  Hollanders,  she  says  ; — 

'*  These  people  have  not  the  love  of  cleanliness,  CHit 
its  cultus." 

Referring  to  the  two  Dutch  towns  which  are  the 
most  rigorously  watched  over,  she  says : — 

"  Saardam  is  a  page,  and  Brock  a  vignette,  from  the 
history  of  Holland. 

"  The  people  of  Broek  have  neither  the  taste  for,  nor 
the  love  of,  cleanliness  ;  it  is  with  thera  a  fanaticism,  a 
fetichism.  A  certain  means  of  ensuring  from  them  a 
favourable  reception  is  the  avoidance,  not  of  vices,  but 
dirt." 

In  Norway,  Madame  d'Aunet  visited  Christiania, 
Drontheim,  and  other  localities ;  but  it  is  Man  rather 
than  Nature  that  interests  her.  Nor  did  she  penetrate 
far  enough  inland  to  gain  a  satisfactory  conception  of 
the  character  of  the  Norwegian  scenery.  In  the  heart  of 
the  Dovrefeld  Mountains  are  grand  and  sublime  land- 
scapes of  peak  and  ravine,  cataract  and  forest,  not 
inferior  to  the  most  famous  scenes  in  Switzerland- 
Norway  can  boast  of  the  finest  waterfall  in  Europe  :  that 
of  the  Maan-ily,  or  Riukan-foss,  which  is  as  majestically 
beautiful  as  the  cascade  of  Gavarni  or  the  falls  of 
Schaflfhausen — which,  indeed,  has  sometimes  been  com- 
pared to  Niagara  itself 

Mons.  Gainvard's  expedition  quitted  Hammerfest,  the 
northernmost  town  in  Scandinavia,  and  after  a  voyage  of 
some  weeks  in  duration,  approached  the  gloomy  coast  of 
ice-bound  Spitzbergen.     The  ice-fields  and  the  icebert^s 


!«.  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

inspired  Madame  d'Aunet  with  profound  emotion,  ardV 
in  describing  them,  she  breaks  out  into  what  may  be 
caliea  a  lyrical  cry.  "  These  Polar  ices,"  she  exclaims, 
"  which  no  dust  has  ever  stained,  as  spotless  now  as  on 
the  first  day  of  the  creation,  are  tinted  with  the  vividest 
colours,  so  that  they  look  like  rocks  composed  of 
precious  stones :  the  glitter  of  the  diamond,  the  dazzHng 
hues  of  the  sapphire  and  the  emerald,  blend  in  an 
unknown  and  marvellous  substance.  Yonder  floating 
islands,  incessantly  undermined  by  the  sea,  change  their 
outline  every  moment ;  by  an  abrupt  movement  the  base 
becomes  the  summit;  a  spire  transforms  itself  into  a 
mushroom ;  a  column  broadens  out  into  a  vast  flat  table, 
a  tower  is  changed  into  a  flight  of  steps ;  and  all  so- 
rapidly  and  unexpectedly  that,  in  spite  of  oneself,  one 
dreams  that  some  supernatural  will  presides  over  those 
sudden  transformations.  At  the  first  glance  I  could  not 
help  thinking  that  I  saw  before  me  a  city  of  the  fays, 
destroyed  at  one  fell  blow  by  a  superior  power,  and 
condemned  to  disappear  without  leaving  a  trace  of  its- 
existence.  Around  me  hustled  fragments  of  the  architec- 
ture of  all  periods  and  every  style :  campaniles,  columns,, 
minarets,  ogives,  pyramids,  turrets,  cupolas,  crenelations, 
volutes,  arcades,  fa9ades,  colossal  foundations,  sculptures 
as  delicate  as  those  which  festoon  the  shapely  pillars 
of  our  cathedrals — all  were  massed  together  and  con- 
fused in  a  common  disaster.  An  ensemble  so  strange^ 
so  marvellous,  the  artist's  brush  is  unable  to  ^eproduce^ 
and  tne  writer's  words  fail  adequately  to  describe  ! 


MADAME  LEONIE  D'AUNET.  131: 

"This  region,  where  everything  is  cold  and  inert,  ha,s» 
been  represented,  has  it  not?  as  enveloped  in  a  deep 
and  subhme  silence.  But  the  reader  must  please  to- 
receive  a  very  different  impression ;  nothing  can  give  any 
fit  idea  of  the  tremendous  tumult  of  a  day  of  thaw  at 
Spitzbergen. 

"  The  sea,  bristling  with  jagged  sheets  of  ice,  clangs  and 
clatters  noisily  ;  the  lofty  littoral  peaks  glide  down  to  the 
shore,  fall  away,  and  plunge  into  the  gulf  of  waters  with  an 
awfiil  crash.  The  mountains  are  rent  and  splintered  ;, 
the  waves  dash  furiously  against  the  granite  capes  ;  the 
icebergs,  as  they  shiver  into  pieces,  give  vent  to  sharp 
reports  like  the  rattle  of  musketry ;  the  wind  with  a 
hoarse  roar,  scatters  tornadoes  of  snow  abroad  .  .  .  It  is. 
terrible,  it  is  magnificent ;  one  seems  to  hear  the  chorus 
of  the  abysses  of  the  old  world  preluding  a  new  chaos. 

"  Never  before  has  one  seen  or  heard  anything  com- 
parable to  that  which  one  sees  and  hears  there;  one 
has  conceived  of  nothing  like  it,  even  in  one's  dreams  ! 
It  belongs  at  once  to  the  fantastic  and  to  the  real : 
it  disconcerts  the  memory,  dazes  the  mind,  and  fills  it 
with  an  indescribable  sense  of  awe  and  admiration. 

"  But  if  the  spectacle  of  the  bay  had  something, 
magical  in  it,  ominous  and  gloomy  was  the  scene  on 
shore.  In  all  directions  the  ground  was  white  with 
the  bones  of  seals  and  walruses,  left  there  by  the 
Norwegian  or  Russian  fishermen,  who  formerly  visited 
these  liigh  latitudes  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  oil ;  for 
«ome   years,  however,   they  have   abandoned  a  pursuit 


IW  IVOMAJV  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

which  was  much  more  dangerous  than  profitable.  These 
great  bones,  bleached  by  time  and  preserved  intact  by 
the  frost,  seemed  so  many  skeletons  of  giants — the  past 
dwellers  in  a  city  which  had  finally  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  sea. 

"The  long  fleshless  fingers  of  the  seals,  so  like  to  those 
of  the  human  hand,  rendered  the  illusion  singularly 
striking  and  filled  one  with  a  kind  of  terror.  I  quitted 
the  charnel-house,  and  directing  my  steps  very  cautiously 
over  the  slippery  soil,  penetrated  inland.  I  found  myself 
very  speedily  in  the  middle  of  a  cemetery ;  but  this  time, 
the  remains  lying  on  the  frozen  snow  were  human. 
Several  coffins,  half  open  and  empty,  had  formerly  been 
occupied  by  human  bodies,  which  the  teeth  of  the  white 
bear  had  recently  profaned.  As,  owing  to  the  thickness 
of  the  ice,  it  is  impossible  to  dig  graves,  a  number  of 
enormous  stones  had,  in  primitive  fashion,  been  heaped 
over  the  coffin-lids,  so  as  to  form  a  defence  against  the 
attacks  of  wild  beasts;  but  the  stout  limbs  of  "the 
great  man  in  the  pelisse "  (as  the  Norwegian  fishers 
picturesquely  call  the  polar  bear)  had  removed  the 
stones  and  devastated  the  tombs ;  a  throng  of  bones 
screwed  the  shore,  half  broken  and  gnawed  .  .  .  the 
pitiful  remains  of  the  bears*  banquet.  I  carefully  col- 
lected them,  and  replaced  them  piously  in  their  proper 
receptacles. 

"  In  the  middle  of  this  work  of  burial,  I  was  seized 
with  an  indescribable  horror ;  the  thought  came  upon 
me  that  I  was  doomed,  perhaps,  to  lay  my  bones  among 


MADAME  L^ONIE  D'AUNET,  133 

these  dismembered  skeletons.  I  had  been  forewarned 
of  the  perils  of  our  expedition.  I  had  accepted  the 
warning  and  fancied  that  I  comprehended  all  the  hazard  ; 
yet  these  tombs  made  me  for  the  moment  shudder,  and 
for  the  first  time  I  dwelt  with  regret  on  the  memories  of 
France,  my  family,  my  friends,  the  blue  sky,  the  gentle 
and  serene  life  which  I  had  quitted  in  order  to  incur  the 
risks  of  so  dangerous  a  voyage." 

Madame  d'Aunet,  however,  returned  to  Paris  in 
safety,  and  satisfied  with  her  experiences  of  the  Polar 
world,  attempted  no  second  expedition.  According  to 
M.  Cortambert,  to  whom  I  owe  this  sketch,  she  after- 
wards resided  in  Paris,  and  edited  several  journals  in- 
tended for  women's  reading.  She  also  produced  scwne 
works  of  no  inconsiderable  merit 


FREDERIKA   BREMER. 


IT  seems  reasonable  enough  that  a  good  novelist 
should  make  a  good  traveller ;  for  to  both  is  essen- 
tial the  possession  of  a  faculty  of  quick  and  accurate 
observation.  Among  the  novelists  of  the  nineteenth 
•century  Frederika  Bremer  holds  a  distinguished  posi- 
tion ;  we  hope  to  show  that  she  merits  a  similar  place 
among  its  travellers. 

She  was  born  at  Tuorla  Manor  House,  near  Abo  in 
Finland,  on  the  17  th  of  August,  1801.  When  she  was 
three  years  old  her  father  removed  his  family  to  the 
small  estate  of  Arsta,  about  twenty  miles  from  Stockholm, 
which  he  had  pur'4:ajBed  Here  sbo  received  a  careful 
•education,  early  attaining  a  good  knowledge  of  French, 
so  as  to  read  and  speak  it  with  facility.  Her  literary 
powers  were  almost  prematurely  developed,  like  those 
'Of  Charlotte  Bronte,  and  she  wrote  verses  to  the  Moon 
;at  eight  years  old.  At  ten  she  meditated  an  elaborate 
rpoem  on  no  less  a  subject  than  "  The  Creation  of  the 
World."     But  her  attention   was  soon   turned   to    more 

134 


FREDERIKA    BREMER.  115 

ipractical  themes,  and  it  is  noticeable  that  even  in  this 
early  springtime  she  began  to  think  much  upon  the 
-dependent  and  subordinate  position  to  which  woman 
has  been  so  unjustly  condemned  by  society. 

She  was  about  twelve  when  her  father  took  up  his 
abode  at  Nynas.  Nynas  was  an  old-fashioned  mansion 
situated  amidst  picturesque  scenery,  which  appears  to 
have  awakened  in  Frederika  her  first  impressions  of  the 
beauty  of  Nature.  Her  education  still  continued ;  she 
studied  English  and  German,  and  made  considerable 
progress  in  history  and  geography. 

In  1 8 13  Nynas  was  sold,  and  the  family  once  more 
settled  at  Arsta.  There  the  young  Frederika  learned  to 
take  a  deep  interest  in  the  great  political  events  which 
were  then  convulsing  Europe — in  the  great  uprising  of 
the  nations  against  the  selfish  tyranny  of  Napoleon.  The 
patriotic  fire  burned  brightly  in  her  girl's  heart.  She 
wept  because  she  had  not  been  bom  a  man,  so  that  she 
might  have  girded  on  her  sword,  and  joined  her  country- 
men to  fight  in  the  cause  of  right  and  freedom.  A  strong 
desire  possessed  her  to  become  a  warrior;  it  was,  in 
truth,  the  bird  beating  against  the  bars  :  the  restlessness 
and  activity  of  a  genius  which  as  yet  had  not  found  its 
proper  channel  of  expression.  She  at  one  time  resolved 
to  flee  from  home  and  proceed  to  the  theatre  of  war. 
which  she  imagined  would  be  a  matter  of  no  difficulty, 
and,  attired  in  male  costume,  to  become  page  to  the 
•Crown  Prince  (afterwards  King  Charles  XIV.),  who 
tnen  appeared  to  her  little  less  than  a  demi-god.     This 


1 36  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER 

scheme  amused  her  fancy  for  more  than  a  year,  and 
melted  away  slowly,  like  snow  in  water.  Gradually  her 
enthusiasm  as  patriot  and  warrior  declined,  and  gave  way 
to  new  and  equally  strong  emotions.  Religious  fervour, 
she  says,  and  the  most  mundane  coquetry  struggled 
within  her;  feelings  for  which  she  could  not  account 
seemed  to  beset  her  young  bosom,  filling  it  sometimes 
with  a  heaven  and  sometimes  with  a  hell.  "  Like  two  all- 
consuming  flames,"  she  writes,  "  the  desire  to  know  and 
the  desire  to  enjoy  were  burning  in  my  soul,  without 
being  satisfied  for  many  long  years.  The  mere  sight  of 
certain  words  in  a  book — words  such  as  Truth,  Liberty, 
Glory,  Immortality— roused  within  me  feelings  which 
vainly  I  would  try  to  describe.  I  wanted  in  some  way 
or  other  to  give  vent  to  and  express  the  same ;  and  I 
wrote  verses,  dramatic  pieces,  and  a  thousand  different 
kinds  of  essays ;  composed  music,  drew  and  painted 
pictures,  some  of  them  worse  than  others." 

By  degrees,  society  in  Stockholm  began  to  appreciate 
the  fact  that  the  Bremer  family  boasted  of  a  maiden  of 
more  than  ordinary  ability,  who,  for  the  family  fetes, 
composed  little  dramas  of  more  than  usual  merit  They 
engaged  the  attention  of  the  poet  Frauzon,  who  was 
frequently  present  at  the  juvenile  performances,  and  by 
his  advice  helped  to  form  the  young  dramatist's  taste, 
and  correct  her  judgment.  Her  earlier  efforts  were  in 
verse  ;  but  after  a  time  she  essayed  to  clothe  her  thoughts 
in  prose,  and  in  prose  of  a  very  vivid  and  forcible  kind. 
The  "Correspondence  between  Axel  and    Anna"  was 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  137 

her  first  serious  work ;  so  great  already  was  her  faci- 
lity of  composition  that  she  finished  it  in  two  days  and 
two  nights.  Her  poems  did  not  make  their  appearance 
until  twenty  years  later,  when  they  had  been  revised  and 
corrected  by  their  author,  whom  experience  had  taught 
that  polish  of  style  and  gravity  of  language  which  can  be 
acquired  only  by  the  careful  study  of  the  best  writers. 
In  the  comparatively  limited  circle  to  which  for 
several  years  she  was  confined,  and  under  conditions  of 
domestic  life  which  were  unfavourable  to  the  happy 
development  of  her  genius,  she  would  have  found  it 
very  difficult  to  indulge  her  literary  tendencies,  if  the 
Countess  Sonnethjelm,  a  Norwegian  lady,  had  not  come 
to  her  assistance  by  providing  her  with  an  asylum  under 
her  roof  There  her  powers  began  rapidly  to  expand, 
and  she  herself  to  comprehend  that  literature  offered 
the  sphere  of  action  for  which  she  had  so  ardently 
longed. 

Afterwards,  like  the  authoress  of  *'  Jane  Eyre,"  she  spent 
some  time  as  a  governess  in  a  ladies'  school  at  Stock- 
holm. We  have  already  hinted  that  her  early  life  was 
not  altogether  happy  ;  her  parents  do  not  appear  to  have 
understood  or  sympathized  with  her,  and  the  household 
concord  was  frequently  broken  by  the  austere,  not  to  say 
eccentric,  temperament  of  its  head.  She  says  of  herself 
that  "a  dark  cloud  came  over  the  splendour  of  her 
youthful  dreams ;  like  early  evening  it  came  over  the 
path  of  the  young  pilgrim  of  life,  and  earnestly,  but 
in  vam,  she   endeavoured   to  escape  it     The  air  was 

9 


1^8  WOMAN  AS  yi    TRAVELLER. 

dimmed  as  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  ;  darkness  increased. 
and  it  became  night.  And  in  the  depth  of  that  endless 
winter's  night  she  heard  lamenting  voices  from  the  east 
and  from  the  west,  from  plant  and  animal,  from  dying 
nature  and  despairing  humanity  ;  she  saw  life  with  all  its 
beauty,  its  love,  its  throbbing  heart,  buried  alive  beneath 
a  chill  covering  of  ice." 

In  the  summer  of  1831  she  paid  a  visit,  which 
extended  over  a  twelvemonth,  to  a  recently  married 
sister,  then  settled  at  Christianstadt.  We  are  told 
that  the  young  novelist  had  determined  not  to  mix 
in  society  or  accept  any  invitations,  but  to  live  in 
retirement,  and  develop  herself  for  what  she  now 
considered  to  be  her  mission  and  her  vocation, 
namely,  to  become  an  authoress;  and,  enriched  by 
experience  of  the  world,  to  devote  her  talents  in  a 
double  measure  to  the  comfort  and  assistance  of  the 
suffering  and  unhappy. 

'*  Frederika,"  says  her  sister,*  "  found  and  felt  that  she 
required  to  learn  much,  and  that  she  stood  in  need 
of  a  firm  religious  faith,  which  she  had  hitherto  lacked. 
The  contradictions  which  she  fancied  she  saw  in  the 
Bible  and  the  world  had  long  shaken  her  belief,  and 
raised  doubts  in  her  soul  to  such  a  degree  that,  at 
times,  with  her  reflecting  and  inquiring  mind,  they 
seemed  to  darken  life." 

♦  F.  Milon:  "Life  and  Letters  of  Frederika  Bremer"  (Ed.  1868), 


FREDERIKA   BREMER,  139 

The  teacher,  or  guide,  for  whom  she  had  instinctively 
yearned,  she  found  at  Christianstadt  in  the  head  master 
of  tlie  High  School,  the  Rev.  Peter  Boklin,  by  whose 
teaching,  example,  and  character  she  profited  greatly. 
His  influence  was  as  beneficial  as  it  was  powerful.  Well 
versed  in  history  and  philosophy,  he  gave  a  new  impulse 
to  Frederika's  genius,  while  his  wise  and  judicious 
criticism  corrected  the  errors  into  which  spontaneity 
and  facility  betrayed  her.  He  showed  her  that  it  was 
not  enough  to  compose  with  ease,  she  must  learn  to 
think  clearly  and  soundly ;  and  that  grace  of  style  and 
picturesqueness  of  description  were  of  little  avail  to  the 
novelist  without  the  creative  idea. 

Under  these  changed  circumstances  a  change  came 
over  the  tone  in  which  she  spoke  of  life.  Writing  to  her 
mother,  in  October,  1831,  she  says  : — 

"  Life  seems  now  to  be  of  value  to  me.  Formerly  it 
was  not  so.  My  youth  has  not  been  happy;  on  the 
contrary,  it  has  been  a  time  of  suffering,  and  its  days  to  a 
great  extent — this  is  indeed  the  truth — have  passed  away 
in  a  continual  wish  to  die.  But  now  it  is  otherwise.  As 
a  compensation  for  that  long  period  of  pain  and  com- 
pulsory inactivity,  another  h?.s  succeeded,  which  gives 
me  the  means  of  usefulness,  and  therefore  also  of  new 
life  and  gladness.  We  hope — we  desire — my  sisters  and 
I — nothing  else  than  to  be  able  to  do  some  little  good 
while  we  are  wandering  here  on  earth,  and  according  to 
the  power  that  is  given  to  us  to  work  for  the  good  of 
others,  and  live  ourselves  in  peace  and  harmony ;  and 


140  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

perliaps  our  saddened  youth,  if  it  have  deprived  us  of  some 
of  the  enjoyments  of  life,  may  in  a  certain  measure  have 
led  our  minds  to  higher  aspirations,  and  to  a  stronger 
desire  for  real  usefulness." 

Her  literary  career  had  begun  three  years  before  this 
epoch.  In  1828  she  published  at  Stockholm  her 
"  Sketches  of  Every- day  Life  "  {Teckningar  ur  Hvardags- 
Hfort)^  including,  "Axel  and  Anna,"  "The  Twins,"  and 
other  stories.  They  met  at  once  with  a  favourable  re- 
ception. But  it  was  not  until  she  produced  her  striking 
picture  of  "  The  H Family  "  that  the  public  recog- 
nized the  full  extent  and  claims  of  her  genius.  Her 
reputation  spread  with  great  rapidity,  and  was  extended 
and  confirmed  by  the  works  which  proceeded  in  swift 
succession  from  her  fertile  pen.  "The  President's 
Daughter,"  "  Nina,"  "  The  Neighbours,"  "  The  Home," 
and  "  Strife  and  Peace  ; "  all  these  books  are  marked 
by  the  same  general  characteristics :  entire  purity  of 
tone,  warmth  of  feeling,  clearness  of  judgment,  insight 
into  human  nature,  genial  humour,  a  sharp  perception 
of  social  aspects,  a  s^ong,  clear  style,  and  unusually 
vivid  descriptive  powers.  Her  plots  are  simple,  and  her 
incidents  natural.  In  fact  she  seeks  them  in  the  ordinary 
scenes  of  domestic  life,  in  its  joys  and  sorrows,  in  the 
duties  and  pleasures,  the  lights  and  shadows  of  home — 
and  is  never  induced  to  venture  into  the  regions  of 
melodramatic  or  philosophical  fiction. 

In  1 841  the  works  we  have  enumerated  were  trans- 


FREDERIKA   BREMER,  141 

fated  into  German,  to  attain  in  Germany  to  as  great  and 
enduring  a  popularity  as  they  had  acquired  in  their 
native  country-.  In  the  following  year  they  were  made 
known  to  the  British  public,  through  the  labours  of 
William  and  Mary  Howitt ;  and  the  reception  accorded 
to  them  was  as  enthusiastic  as  could  be  desired.  Their 
merits,  indeed,  were  precisely  those  which  English  readers 
might  be  supposed  to  appreciate. 

It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  in  **  The  Neigh- 
bours," more  than  in  any  of  her  other  works,  Frederika 
Bremer  drew  from  real  life.  Aged  Mrs.  Mansfeld  is 
almost  a  literal  portrait  of  one  of  her  most  familiar 
acquaintances.  As  for  Francisca  Werner,  she  is  the 
authoress  herself.  Alternately  despondent,  dreamy, 
energetic,  enthusiastic,  housewifely,  such  is  the 
character  of  Francisca,  and  such  was  Frederika.  She 
represents  her  heroine  as  small  of  stature,  with  a  plain 
face,  which  is  yet  not  without  some  charm  of  expression, 
as  a  woman  of  excessively  simple  tastes,  a  student,  and 
an  artist.  It  is  an  exact  portrait;  and  "The  Neigh- 
bours "  is  a  record  of  her  thoughts  and  a  history  of  her 
heart  and  its  generous  impulses. 

An  author  has  gained  a  good  deal  when  he  succeeds 
in  pleasing  his  readers  ;  but  to  ensure  a  claim  to  immor- 
tality he  must  bare  to  them  his  personality,  the  secrets  of 
his  soul,  the  feelings  of  his  heart.  This  has  been  done 
by  Frederika  Bremer.  It  is  true  that  she  reveals  no 
stormy  passions,  no  wild  and  wayward  emotions ;  but  she 


142  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

shows  us  herself,  in  all  her  love  of  things  good  and 
beautiful,  in  all  the  breadth  and  purity  of  her  sympathies, 
in  all  the  elevation  of  her  thoughts.  We  see,  too,  her 
knowledge  of  the  domesticities y  her  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  home.  Her  judg- 
ments are  always  sound  and  prudent ;  the  advice  she 
gives  is  advice  which,  founded  upon  experience  and  re- 
flection, we  cannot  reject  without  injury.  Let  us  borrow 
a  few  passages  from  the  conversations  in  which  Mrs. 
Mansfeld  figures : — 

"  Many  marriages,  my  friends,  have  begun  like  the 
dawn,  and  fallen  like  the  dark  night.  Why?  Because 
after  the  marriage-feast  is  over,  husband  and  wife  have- 
forgotten  to  be  as  agreeable  to  one  another  as  they  were 
before  it  Seek,  therefore,  to  please  reciprocally;  but 
in  doing  this  have  God  always  present  before  your  eyes. 
Do  not  lavish  all  your  tenderness  to-day  ;  remember  that 
in  marriage  there  is  a  to-morrow  and  a  day  after  to- 
morrow. Keep  some  wood  for  the  winter  fire,  and 
remember  what  is  expected  of  a  married  woman.  Her 
husband  must  be  able  to  count  upon  her  in  his  home  ;  it 
is  she  to  whom  he  must  entrust  the  key  of  his  heart ;  his 
honour,  his  household,  his  welfare  are  in  the  hands  of 
his  wife. 

"  Be  to  thy  husband,  my  dear  daughter,  like  the 
rays  of  the  sun  which  you  see  among  the  trees  ; 
allow  thyself  to  be  guided  by  him,  render  him  happy 
and  thou  thyself  wilt  be  happy,  and  thou  wilt  under- 
stand what  there  is  of  good  in  life  ;  thou  wilt  become 


FREDERIKA  BREMER.  143 

orf  value  in  thine   own   eyes,   before   God,  and   before 
men" 

To  housewives  and  housekeepers  she  gives  some 
shrewd,  sensible  counsel : — 

"  It  is  only  at  intervals  that  you  should  make  a  general 
survey  of  the  household  ;  this  keeps  servants  respectful, 
and  things  orderly.  If  you  set  the  clock  going  in  proper 
time,  it  afterwards  goes  alone,  and  you  have  no  need 
to  be  always  ticking  like  a  pendulum.  Remember  this, 
my  dear  daughter,  some  mistresses  are  too  restless  with 
their  bunches  of  keys  ;  they  run  about  the  kitchen  and 
the  pantry,  but  it  is  time  lost ;  a  woman  will  do  well  to 
take  care  of  her  household  with  her  head  rather  than  with 
her  feet 

"  Some  mistresses  are  always  at  their  servants'  heels, 
by  which  nothing  is  gained. 

*  *  Servants  also  ought  to  have  some  liberty  and  calm. 
We  must  not  muzzle  the  mouth  of  the  ox  who  treads 
the  corn.  Let  thy  people  be  responsible  for  what  they 
do ;  hold  them  strictly  to  every  tie  of  heart  and  honour ; 
give  them  richly  that  which  comes  back  to  them.  The 
labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  But  three  or  four  times 
a  year,  and  always  unexpectedly,  swoop  down  upon 
them  like  the  Last  Judgment;  examine  every  comer 
and  recess ;  make  a  noise  like  thunder,  and  strike  right 
and  left  at  the  fitting  moment  — this  clears  the  house  for 
many  weeks ! " 

There  is  nothing  sensational  or  romantic,  quaint  or 
picturesque,  in  these  passages,  we  grant  you.     To  those 


144  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

who  have  fed  on  the  rhapsodies  of  a  certain  school 
of  fiction  they  will  seem  vulgarly  commonplace.  Bnt 
their  practical  good  sense  is  indisputable,  and  they 
illustrate  the  characteristics  of  Frederika  Bremer  as  a 
writer.  They  point  to  her  combination  of  domesticity, 
household  economy,  and  imagination ;  to  the  alliance 
between  poetry  and  prose  which  strengthened  her  vivid 
genius. 

The  great  object  which  she  set  before  herself,  after  she 
had  arrived  at  a  full  understanding  of  her  powers,  was 
the  emancipation  of  her  sex  from  the  thraldom  imposed 
upon  it  by  tradition  and  conventionalism,  and  more 
definitely,  the  alteration  of  the  Swedish  law  so  far  as 
it  pressed  harshly  and  unjustly  upon  women.  She  desired, 
her  sister  tells  us,  that  women,  like  men,  and  together 
with  them,  should  be  allowed  to  study  in  the  elementary 
schools  and  at  the  academies,  in  order  to  gain  oppor- 
tunities of  securing  employment  and  situations  suitable 
for  them  in  the  service  of  the  State.  In  her  opinion  it 
was  a  grave  injustice  to  deny  them,  even  such  as  were 
endowed  with  great  talents  and  brilliant  intellectual 
powers,  such  opportunities.  She  was  fully  convinced 
that  they  could  acquire  all  kinds  of  knowledge  with  as 
much  facility  as  men  ;  that  they  ought  to  stand  on  the 
same  level,  and  to  prepare  themselves  in  the  public 
schools  and  universities,  to  become  lecturers,  professors, 
judges,  physicians,  and  official  functionaries.  She  pre- 
dicted that  if  women  were  as  free  as  men  to  gain 
knowledge  and  skill,   they  would,  when   their  capacity 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  145 

and  indispensableness  in  the  work  of  society  had  obtained 
more  general  recognition,  be  found  fitted  for  a  variety 
•of  occupations,  which  were  either  already  in  existence,  or 
would  be  required  in  future  under  a  more  energetic 
development  of  society  ;  and,  finally,  she  maintamed 
with  warmth  and  eloquence  that  woman  ought  to  have 
the  same  right  as  man  to  benefit  her  native  country 
by  the  exercise  of  her  talents. 

In  the  autumn  of  1848  Frederika  Bremer  left  home, 
paying  first  a  visit  to  her  old  friend  and  teacher,  the  Rev. 
Peter  Boklin,  and  afterwards  proceeding  to  Copenhagen, 
In  the  following  year  she  made  several  excursions  to  the 
Danish  islands,  and  then,  by  way  of  London,  directed  her 
steps  to  New  York,  anxious  to  study  the  social  condition 
of  women  in  the  United  States.  She  remained  in  the 
great  Western  Republic  for  two  years,  traversing  it 
from  north  to  south,  and  collecting  a  mass  of  in- 
formation on  social,  moral,  and  religious  topics.  Her 
*'  Homes  of  the  New  World  "  was,  perhaps,  the  first 
discriminating  and  impartial  work  upon  America  and 
the  Americans. 

On  her  return  home  she  met  with  a  severe  blow  in  the 
death  of  her  beloved  sister  Agatha,  which  had  taken 
place  during  her  absence .  Two  years  later  ( March,  1855) 
she  lost  her  mother ;  after  which  event  she  removed 
from  the  old  family  house  at  Arsta  to  Stockholm.  Here, 
in  December,  1856,  she  published  her  romance  of 
**  Hersha," — a  story  with  \  purpose — its  aim  being  the 


146  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

reform  of  the  Swedish  laws  affecting  women.  Stories- 
with  a  purpose  are  seldom  acceptable  to  the  general 
public,  and  "  Hersha  "  is  the  least  popular  of  Frederika 
Bremer's  works,  though  it  is  the  most  carefully  andi 
artistically  wrought.  It  is  satisfactory  to  know,  however,, 
that  its  purpose  was  attained. 

In  the  summer  of  1853,  when  the  cholera  devastated' 
Stockholm,  Frederika  became  president  of  a  society  of 
noble  women,  whose  aim  it  was  to  take  charge  of,  andi 
provide  a  home  for,  those  children  who  were  orphaned 
by  the  terrible  epidemic,  and  to  give  assistance  to^ 
families  in  which  the  father  or  mother  had  been  taken, 
away.  Two  years  afterwards,  she  placed  herself  at  the 
head  of  a  small  association  of  ladies  whose  object 
it  was  to  visit  the  prisons  of  Stockholm,  and  procure 
an  amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  prisoners,  as 
well  as  to  assist,  on  their  discharge,  those  who  seemed 
anxious  to  embark  on  an  honest  career.  A  considerable 
portion  of  her  time,  her  energies,  and  her  income  was 
devoted  to  benevolent  purposes,  and  the  alleviation  of 
human  suffering  she  accepted  as  one  of  her  holiest 
and  happiest  duties. 

Having  read  with  deep  interest  the  works  of  Vinet, 
slie  was  seized  with  a  desire  to  study  on  the  spot  the 
religious  movement  in  Protestant  Switzerland  called 
forth  by  the  "  Free  Church,"  of  which  that  eloquent 
divine  was  the  founder.  In  the  summer  of  1856  she 
accordingly  visited  Switzerland  Thence  she  proceeded 
to  Belgium,  France,  and  Italy,  and  f.nally  she  extended 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  147- 

ner  tour  to  Greece  and  Palestine,  so  that  it  was  not 
until  the  summer  of  186 1  that  she  returned  home.     Of 
this  long  and  interesting  journey  she  issued  a  graphic 
record. 

Three  months  of  the  summer  of  1864  she  spent  at 
Arsta  with  the  patriarchal  family  who  had  become  the- 
owners  of  the  paternal  estate,  and  enjoyed  so  much  peace 
and  pleasantness  that  she  resolved  to  accept  their 
invitation  to  lodge  with  them  permanently.  She  still 
continued  her  philanthropic  labours,  and  looked  forward 
confidently  to  an  old  age  of  usefulness,  hallowed  by  the 
love  of  suffering  humanity  and  brightened  by  implicit 
confidence  in  the  mercy  and  meek  submission  to  the  will 
of  God.  But  on  Christmas  Day,  1865,  she  caught  cold 
at  church,  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs  supervened 
with  a  severity  she  had  not  strength  enough  to  resist*^ 
She  herself  did  not  believe  there  was  any  danger  ;  and  in- 
spite  of  increasing  pain  and  difficulty  in  breathing,  could 
not  be  persuaded  to  lie  down,  but  walked  about  even  on 
the  last  day  of  her  life,  which  was  also  the  last  day  of 
the  year.  Her  mind  preserved  its  clearness  and  serenity. 
Shortly  before  her  death,  she  went,  leaning  on  her  nurse's 
arm,  from  window  to  window  in  her  large  sitting  room^ 
as  if  taking  leave  of  the  surrounding  landscape  which 
she  loved  so  deeply.  Then  in  a  low  weak  voice  she 
uttered  some  broken  sentences,  and  frequently  repeated, 
the  words,  "  Light,  eternal  light !  "  Clasping  her  nurse's 
hrmds  in  her  own,  she  exclaimed,  "  Ah,  my  child,  let 
us  speak  of  Christ's  love, — the  best,  the  highest  love  I  **" 


148  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

At  three  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  she  peacefully 
■drew  her  last  breath.* 

From  this  brief  sketch  of  the  life  of  the  great  Swedish 
■novelist,  we  turn  to  a  consideration  of  her  work  as  a 
traveller. 

Her  visit  to  the  United  States  she  turned  to  good 
account,  examining  with  a  keen  observant  eye  the 
manners  and  customs  of  the  people.  She  made  the 
acquaintance  of  Channing  and  Emerson ;  she  went  from 
town  to  town,  and  village  to  village;  she  investigated 
the  character  and  influence  of  American  institutions  : 
she  gave  a  lively  consideration  to  the  great  moral 
and  political  questions  which  were  then  stirring  the 
American  mind.  The  result  was,  a  strong  and  affec- 
tionate interest  in  the  great  Western  Commonwealth — 
an  interest  so  strong  and  deep  that  it  made  her  some- 
what unjust  to  England,  which  she  had  formerly  placed 
in  the  front  rank  of  the  nations  as  the  mother  of  progress 
and  true  freedom. 

In  the  following  passage  she  particularizes,  from  her 
poin^  of  view,  the  difference  between  the  English  and 
American  character  : — 

"  Brother  Jonathan  and  John  Bull,"  she  says,  "  have 
the  same  father,  but  not  the  same  mother.     John  Bull  is 


*  Besides  the  works  named  in  the  preceding  pages,  Frederika 
lirenjer  wrote  "The  Diary,"  "Life  in  Dalecarlia,"  "Brothers 
and  Sisters,"  and  "The  Midnight  Sun." 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  14^ 

corpulent,  with  high-coloured  cheeks,  is  self-assertive,  and 
speaks  in  a  loud  voice ;  Brother  Jonathan,  who  is  much 
younger,  is  lank,  tall,  weak  about  the  knees,  not  boastful, 
but  vigorous  and  decided.  John  Bull  is  at  least  forty, 
while  Jonathan  is  not  yet  twenty-one. 

"The  movements  of  John  Bull  are  pompous,  and  some- 
what affected;  Jonathan's  feet  move  as  nimbly  as  his 
tongue.  John  Bull  laughs  loud  and  long;  Jonathan 
does  not  laugh,  but  smiles  slightly.  John  Bull  seats 
himself  calmly  to  make  a  good  dinner,  as  if  he  were 
bent  on  some  great  and  weighty  matter ;  Jonathan  eats 
rapidly,  and  is  in  a  hurry  to  quit  the  table  in  order  to 
found  a  town,  dig  a  canal,  or  construct  a  railway.  John 
wishes  to  be  a  gentleman ;  Jonathan  does  not  trouble 
himself  about  appearances — he  has  so  much  to  do,  that 
it  matters  little  to  him  if  he  rushes  about  with  a  hole 
at  the  elbow  or  a  tail  of  his  coat  torn  off,  so  long 
as  he  advances.  John  Bull  marches,  Jonathan  runs. 
John  Bull  is  certainly  very  polite  to  the  ladies,  but 
when  he  is  bent  on  enjoying  himself  at  the  table,  he 
puts  them  to  the  door — that  is,  he  begs  them  to  be  so 
obliging  as  to  go  into  another  room  and  make  tea  for 
him,  '  he  will  follow  them  immediately.'  Jonathan  does 
not  act  like  this ;  he  loves  the  society  of  women,  and 
will  not  be  deprived  of  it ;  he  is  the  most  gallant  man 
upon  earth,  and  if  he  sometimes  forgets  his  gallantry, 
it  is  because  he  has  forgotten  himself ;  but  this  does  not 
often  happen.  When  John  Bull  has  a  fit  of  indigestion, 
or  a  stroke  of  ill-luck,  he  suffers  firom  the  spleen,  and 


iy>  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

ithinks  of  hanging  himself ;  when  Jonathan  has  a  fit  of 
•indigestion,  or  a  stroke  of  ill-luck,  he  goes  on  his 
itravels.  Now  and  then  he  has  a  paroxysm  of  lunacy, 
^but  he  recovers  himself  quickly,  and  never  dreams  of 
iputting  an  end  to  his  existence.  On  the  contrary,  he 
says  to  himself,  *  Let  us  think  no  more  of  it ;  go 
ahead !' 

"The  two  brothers  have  taken  it  into  their  heads  that 
tthey  will  humanize  and  civilize  the  world  ;  but  Jonathan 
marches  with  more  zeal  in  this  direction,  and  wishes  to 
-go  much  farther  than  John  Bull;  he  has  no  fear  of 
^wounding  his  dignity  by  putting  his  two  hands  to  the 
ipie,  like  a  true  workman.  The  two  brothers  desire  to 
'become  rich  men  ;  but  John  Bull  keeps  for  himself  and 
'his  friends  the  best  and  largest  portion.  Jonathan  is 
willing  to  share  his  with  everybody,  to  enrich  all  the 
v;orld  ;*  he  is  a  cosmopolitan ;  a  part  of  the  earth  serves 
him  as  larder,  and  he  has  all  the  treasures  of  the  globe 
»with  which  to  keep  up  his  household.  John  Bull  is  an 
aristocrat;  Jonathan  is  a  democrat— that  is  to  say,  he 
wishes  to  be,  and  thinks  he  is  one  ;  but  it  occurs  to  him 
'to  forget  it  in  his  relations  with  people  of  a  different 
•complexion  from  his  own.  John  Bull  has  a  good  heart, 
which  at  times  he  conceals  in  his  fat  and  phlegm  under 
4iis  well-wadded  and  buttoned-up  coat.     Jonathan  has  a 

*  Frederika  Bremer's  judgment  is  certainly  at  fault  here  ;  and  in 
•  other  points  she  does  not  show  a  very  exact  discrimination.  The 
-sketch,  indeed,  is  witty  rather  than  accurate  ;  a  clever  caricature, 
tfather  than  a  correct  drawing. 


FRED  ERIK  A   BREMER  I  SI 

igood  heart  also,  but  does  not  hide  it  His  blood  ia 
'Warmer ;  he  has  no  corpulence  ;  he  marches  with  coat 
•anouttoned  or  without  one.  Some  persons  maintain 
-even  that  Brother  Jonathan  is  John  Bull  stripped  of  his 
•coat,  and  it  is  with  this  American  saying  that  I  take 
•leave,  for  the  present,  of  John  Bull  and  his  brother 
Jonathan.  ** 

The  manners  and  customs  most  opposed  to  European 
'ideas  found  favour  in  the  eyes  of  Frederika  Bremer, 
when  she  thought  she  detected  in  American  usages  the 
elements  of  progress  and  liberty.  It  is,  indeed,  with 
too  light  a  touch  that  she  glides  by  the  more  regrettable 
'defects  of  the  American  character,  so  fascinated,  so 
•dazzled  is  she  by  the  brilliant  mirage  of  independence 
— independence  of  thought  and  action,  often  verging 
•upon  or  passing  into  licence — which  the  United  States 
;presented  to  her.  She  reminds  one  of  that  Western 
patriot  who,  from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  watching 
vthe  explosion  of  a  steamship,  exclaimed,  "  Heavens ! 
the  Americans  are  a  great  people  ! "  This  exclamation 
she  does  not  repeat  in  so  many  words,  but  the  idea 
^which  it  embodies  is  present  in  every  page  of  her  book. 

But,  in  truth,  she  travelled  under  conditions  which 
'made  it  almost  impossible  for  her  to  form  an  impartial 
Judgment  of  men  and  things.  She  was  everywhere  re- 
-ceived  with  so  much  enthusiastic  hospitality,  even  by 
'Quakers,  Shakers,  Plungers,  and  other  of  those  strange 
rfiects  described  with  so  much  unction  by  the  late  Mr. 


152  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

Hepworth  Dixon,  that  her  usual  keen  powers  of  observa- 
tion  were  necessarily  obscured.  She  saw  everything 
through  rose-coloured  glasses.  On  the  question  ot 
slavery,  for  example,  she,  the  ardent  champion  of  the 
emancipation  of  humanity,  who  started  with  the  firm 
resolution  to  launch  her  heaviest  thunderbolts  at  the 
slave-owners,  was  led  to  give  forth  an  uncertain  sound. 
For  the  astute  Southerners  got  hold  of  her,  feted  her, 
complimented  her,  read  her  works ;  how  could  she  retain 
her  impartiality  when  brought  under  such  powerful 
influences?  Can  any  author  inveigh  against  the  men 
who  read  his  books  ?  So  it  has  not  inaptly  been  said 
that  she  denounces  the  slave-holders  only  when  she  is  in 
Yankee  territory,  and  criticises  the  Yankees  only  when 
she  is  in  the  Southern  States.  Allowing  herself  to 
believe  that  the  condition  of  the  negroes  was  not  so 
deplorable  as  she  had  supposed,  she  even  began  to 
extenuate  the  institution  of  slavery  by  arguments  too 
transparently  feeble  to  call  for  detailed  confutation.  Ii 
is  true,  she  says,  that  slavery  is  an  evil  to-day,  but 
to-morrow  it  will  be  a  boon  to  humanity,  and  a  boon  to 
the  negro  world.  Why  ?  Because  the  American  negro^ 
enlightened  by  the  teachings  of  Christianity  through  his 
contact  with  the  white  man,  will,  at  some  future  time, 
return  to  Africa,  the  home  of  his  ancestors,  a  mis- 
sionary of  civilization,  charged  with  the  glorious  task  of 
redeeming  and  regenerating  it. 

This  was  a  new  reading  of  the  old  falsehood,  doing 
evil  that  good  may  come.     What  could  the  negro  think 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  153 

of  a  Christianity  that  justified  his  subjugation  by 
oppression  ?  Or  how  could  a  race,  kept  in  the  bonds  and 
fetters  of  an  accursed  degradation,  be  fitted  to  play  the 
part  of  apostles  and  missionaries  ?  Happily  it  is  unne- 
cessary to  discuss  the  subject,  since  slavery  no  longe" 
exists  in  America. 

Of  those  beautiful  descriptions  of  nature  which  lend 
«)  great  a  charm  to  Miss  Bremer's  fiction  we  find  but 
few  examples  in  her  work  on  the  United  States.  Unfoi 
tunately  she  travelled  as  a  philosopher,  not  as  an 
observer  of  nature ;  engaged  in  the  study  of  social  ques- 
tions, she  seems  to  have  had  neither  the  leisure  nor  the 
-inclination  to  survey  the  magnificent  scenery  through 
which  she  passed  The  area  she  traversed  was  very 
considerable ;  firom  New  York  she  crossed  the  continent 
to  New  Orleans ;  she  visited  Canada,  the  lakes,  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  made  an  excursion  to 
Cuba ;  but  of  all  the  landscapes,  sublime,  beautiful,  and 
picturesque  that  met  her  gaze,  she  says  little  or  nothing. 
Even  the  mighty  Niagara  has  scarcely  power  to  move 
her ;  the  rolling  prairies  make  no  impression  on  her  ima- 
gination. From  her  book,  therefore,  we  can  offer  no 
quotations.  In  a  country  like  America  social  questions 
change  their  aspects  with  so  much  rapidity  that  Miss 
Bremer's  opinions  upon  them  are  already  antiquated.  It 
is  Nature  only  that  preserves  her  character.  The  rela- 
tions of  the  North  to  the  South,  of  the  slave-holder  to 
the  negro,  or  of  the  Democratic  party  to  the  Republican, 

10 


154  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

may  undergo,  in  twenty  or  thirty  years  a  complete  trans- 
formation ;  but  Niagara  still  pours  its  flood  of  waters  into 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  leagues  upon  leagues  of  grassy 
savannahs  are  still  untrodden  by  the  foot  of  roan. 

The  defect  which  we  have  indicated  in  Miss  Bremer's 
"  Homes  of  the  New  World "  does  not  appear  in  the 
later  work,  "Two  Years  in  Switzerland  and  Italy." 
Here  we  find  that  warm  sympathy  with  Nature,  that 
vivid  appreciation  of  the  beautiful,  which  we  might 
reasonably  expect  from  one  who  had  the  poet's  feeling 
and  fancy,  though  not  endowed  with  the  poet's  faculty 
of  expression.*  In  the  opening  chapter  or  "  station,"  as 
she  prefers  to  call  it,  we  come  upon  a  picture  full  of 
power  and  colour,  in  which  the  artist  uses  her  pencil 
with  equal  grace  and  freedom.  It  is  the  valley  of 
Lauterbrunnen^  or  "Laughing  Waters": — 

"  From  Steinbock  the  valley  becomes  ever  narrower, 
between  ever  higher  mountain  walls  ;  louder  and  louder 
roar  the  becks  and  the  streams,  which,  now  swollen  by 
the  rains,  are  hurled  from  the  glaciers  down  towards  the 
valley  and  the  river.  Here  falls  th'e  Staubbach,  thrown 
like  silver  rain,  driven  hither  and  thither  by  the  wind 
over  the  field  which  it  keeps  green  below ;  here  rushes 
down  the  strong  Trummelsbach,  foaming  from  the  em- 
brace of  the  cliffs ;  there  the  still  stronger  Rosenbach, 

•  There  is  much  more  poetry  in  Miss  Bremer's  prose  works  than 
in  her  poems,  which  axe  little  more  than  the  efforts  of  an  accom- 
plished versifier. 


FRED  ERIK  A   BREMER.  155 

which  the  Jungfrau  pours  out  of  her  silver  horn.  On  all 
sides,  near  and  afar  off,  there  is  a  rushing  and  roaring 
and  foaming,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  above  me, 
below  me,  and  before,  out  of  a  hundred  hidden  fountains, 
and  even  wilder  beside  me  rushes  on  the  Lutschine,  with 
still  increasing  waters.  It  is  too  much,  I  cannot  bear 
even  my  own  thoughts.  I  am  in  the  bosom  of  a  wild . 
Undine,  who  drowns  her  admirers  while  she  embraces 
them — and  the  Titans  are  growing  ever  loftier  and 
broader,  and  the  valley  ever  narrower,  gloomier,  and  more 
desolate.  I  felt  depressed,  and  as  it  were,  overwhelmed, 
but,  nevertheless,  I  went  forward.  It  is  melancholy 
scenery,  but,  at  the  same  time,  grand  and  powerful. 
And  scenery  of  this  character  exercises  a  strong  attractive 
power,  even  when  it  astonishes.  The  shades  of  evening 
fell  darkly  over  the  valley,  where  I  saw  before  me,  in 
its  gloomy  depth,  a  broad,  grey-white,  immense  wall  of 
water,  like  dust  hurled  thundering  down  from  a  lofty 
mountain.  It  seemed  to  shut  up  the  valley.  That  is 
enough;  I  salute  the  giantess,  the  great  Schmadrebach, 
the  mother  of  the  Lutschine  river,  and  return.  No,  it  is 
not  good  to  be  here,  and  the  society  of  the  Titans  is  more 
agreeable  for  a  simple  mortal  at  a  greater  distance  ! .  .  . 

"On  my  return  to  Interlachen  the  Titans  presented 
me  with  a  glorious  spectacle,  and  it  was  not  without 
joyful  admiration  that  I  parted  from  their  immediate 
neighbourhood.  The  great  spirits  which  terrify  can  also 
enchant.  In  the  light  of  the  descending  sun  the  white 
peaks   and   fields   of  the  Alps  stood   out  in   the   most 


156  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

brilliant  colouring;  the  lofty  Jungfrau  clothed  herself 
in  rose-tint,  the  blue  glaciers  shone  transparently,  and 
the  lower  the  sun  sank  the  higher  and  clearer  gleamed 
the  Alpine  pinnacles 

"Later  still,  new  astonishment  awaited  me  from  the 
c^mp  of  the  giants.  The  head  of  the  Jungfrau  was 
surrounded  with  a  soft  glory  of  light,  which  increased 
in  beauty  and  brightness,  till  at  length  the  moon,  shining 
in  full  splendour,  slowly  advancing  above,  crowned  the 
Titaness  with  beauty.*'* 

Apart  from  its  picturesque  descriptions,  however, 
Miss  Bremer's  book  on  Switzerland  and  Italy  is  hardly 
a  success.  She  had  not  the  qualifications  df  a  Madame 
de  Stael,  and  her  observations,  therefore,  are  frequently 
superficial.  Moreover,  she  seems  to  have  suffered  in 
self-appreciation.  In  Sweden  she  shone  as  a  great  star 
in  the  literary  firmament ;  and  she  appears  to  have  been 
under  an  impression  that  her  fame  would  have  pre- 
ceded her  into  otlier  countries,  and  ensured  her  a 
triumphal  reception  in  any  town  she  entered ;  but 
Germany  showed  her  very  little  attention,  and  hence 
she  sees  it  in  a  very  unfavourable  light.  So  in  Swit- 
zerland :  she  was  caught  up  in  the  stream  of  tourists ; 
her  name,  inscribed  in  the  visitors'  books  of  the  hotels 
received  but  a  fugitive  notice ;  and  she  who  had  created 
in  her  fancy  an  ideal  Switzerland,  prepared  to  welcome 
with  open  arms  the  champion  of  freedom  generally,  and 

*  F.  Bremer,  "Two  Years  in  Switzerland  and  Italy"  (transl:  b> 
Mary  Ho  win),  i.  1 5- 1 7. 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  1^7 

the  freedom  of  women  in  particular — discovered  only  a 
nation  of  good  housekeepers,  who  wer^  thmking  of 
everything  in  the  world  but  emancipatioiL 

Miss  Bremer  visited  the  valleys  of  the  High  Alps  and 
the  Forest  Cantons;  spent  a  Sunday  on  the  Righi ; 
journeyed  to  Basle  ;  passed  into  Belgium  and  Flanders, 
surveying  the  antiquities  of  the  old  historic  cities  of 
Ghent,  Bruges,  and  Antwerp ;  proceeded  to  Paris ; 
returning  to  Switzerland,  spent  the  winter  at  Lausanne ; 
in  the  following  year  crossed  the  Alps  into  Italy, 
and  through  Piedmont  travelled  to  the  Eternal  City; 
thence  to  Naples,  where  she  saw  an  eruption  of 
Vesuvius  and  the  buried  city  of  Pompeii ;  and,  finally, 
explored  the  fair  landscapes  of  Sicily.  This  vast 
variety  of  scenes  she  sketches  always  with  a  quick 
and  dexterous  pencil. 

In  the  course  of  her  two  years'  travel  she  met  with 
several  illustrious  men — with  some  who  have  made,  or 
helped  to  make,  the  history  of  our  time — and  her  record 
of  their  conversations  is  full  of  interest  As  might  be 
expected,  she  excels  in  portraiture.  This  is  her  por- 
trait of  the  late  Cardinal  AntoneUi  : — 

"Antonelli  has  a  strongly  marked  countenance  of 
the  true  Italian  character;  handsome  dark  eyes,  with 
a  penetrative  glance,  gloomy  or  bright  according  to 
the  sentiment  which  they  express ;  dangerous  eyes,  it 
seems  to  me,  they  would  be  to  those  on  whom  their 
glance  was  directed  in  love.  The  countenance  is 
pale  ;   the   features    are    regular — even    handsome — all 


158  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

except  the  mouth,  which  is  large,  with  large  teeth, 
and  devoid  of  agreeable  sentiment  when  speaking. 
In  short,  the  countenance  has  a  commanding  expression. 
An  abundance  of  dark  brown  hair  waves  from  under 
the  red  cap,  and  falls  in  waving  curls  upon  the  pale 
cheeks.  The  whole  figure  is  picturesque — artistic  in 
effect;  to  which  also  the  costume — the  red  cardinal 
stockings,  the  large  silver  buckles,  the  short  silk  cloak, 
and  the  red  cap — contribute  in  no  small  degree.  In  his 
demeanour  he  has  all  the  self-possession  and  ease  of  a 
perfect  man  of  the  world.** 

The  Roman  Carnival  has  often  been  described,  but 
never,  we  think,  with  more  lively  appreciation  of  its 
humorous  features  than  by  Frederika  Bremer.  In  the 
iollowing  passage  we  recognize  something  of  that 
realistic  power  which  makes  the  charm  of  her  novels. 
The  details  are  touched  as  vividly  and  picturesquely 
as  in  her  Swedish  interiors  : — 

"At  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  festival 
began.  The  Corso  was  filled  with  people  and  gen- 
darmes. Military,  mounted  and  on  foot,  were  posted 
at  the  corners  of  all  the  streets,  as  well  as  in  the 
square.  Crowds  of  ragged  lads  were  loitering  about 
the  Corso,  shouting  as  they  followed  any  laughably- 
attired  mask.  Windows  and  balconies  were  filling  with 
gentlemen  and  ladies  in  dominoes,  some  in  costume. 
One  saw  many  lovely  faces.  .  .  .  The  whole  Corso,  from 
the  Piazza  di  Venezia  to  the  Piazza  del  Popolo,  looks 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  159 

like  a  festively-decorated  arena.       But,  for  the  first  time 
c'uring  many  weeks,  the  sky  is   grey,  and   the   streets 
are   wet  with   rain   which   has   fallen  in   the  night ;   it 
even  now  looks  threatening,  and  already  has  rained  a 
little,  but  the  air  is  soft  and  calm.      The  north  wind 
has    left    Rome,    and   all   windows    are    open.      Some 
carriages,    with     masks    in    costumes    and     dominoes, 
begin  to  drive  up  and  down  the  Corso;   the  war  with 
comfits  and   bouquets  has   begun   between  pedestrians 
and  those  who  are  in  carriages — between  the  people  in 
the  streets  and  the  people  at  the  windows  and  in  the 
balconies.     They  seek  either  to  powder  one  another  or 
to  make  a  present     Extremely  beautiful  bouquets  and 
fine  bonbons  come  amongst  quantities  of  others  which 
are  less  beautiful  and  not  at  all  splendid.    One  is  obliged, 
in  the  meantime,  to  hold  a  fine  wji'e  gauze,  in  the  form 
of  a  little  scoop,  before  the  face,  if  one  would  escape 
bruises.     Our  balcony  is  decorated  with  red  and  white, 
and  along  the  outside  of  the  iron  railing  small  boxes 
are  hung  for  the  bouquets  and  comfits.     Our  agreeable 
hostess    belongs    to    the    ornaments    of  her    balcony, 
into  which   flowers   are   assiduously  thrown   by  gentle- 
men in  carriages  and  on  foot 

"  At  five  o'clock  a  mounted  troop  of  soldiers,  in  close 
rank,  galloped  at  full  speed  up  the  Corso,  in  order  to 
clear  the  street,  for  now  the  horse-race  was  to  begin. 
The  people  gather  themselves  close  together  by  the 
walls  of  the  houses;  a  pause  succeeds,  and  then  a 
loud  exulting  shout,  which  runs  like  wildfire  along  the 


i6o  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

Corso;  and  from  the  Piazza  del  Popolo  speeds,  m 
flying  career,  a  little  troop  of  small  horses,  adornea 
with  gold-paper  wings  or  flags.  Away  they  rush  at 
full  speed  along  the  Corso  up  to  the  Piazza  di  Venezia, 
where  they  are  stopped,  and  the  judges  of  the  race 
award  the  prizes  which  their  owners  shall  receive. 
Scarcely  have  the  swift-footed  steeds  passed,  when  the 
throng  of  people  crowd  after  them  like  a  swarming 
ant-hillock.    This  closes  the  amusements  of  the  day.  .  .  . 

"  On  Monday  the  Corso  was,  nevertheless,  more 
animated  than  on  Saturday,  and  the  warfare  of  comfits 
and  flowers  was  carried  on  very  gaily.  People  threw 
flowers  at  each  other  from  balcony  to  balcony,  from 
window  to  window ;  and  people  amused  themselves  with 
grand  comfits,  strung  upon  long  threads  fastened  to 
long  sticks,  like  fishing-lines,  which  they  enticed  their 
acquaintance,  from  one  story  to  another,  to  catch  ;  or 
they  deceived  the  boys  in  the  streets  with  these  same 
tempting  baits,  which  the  next  moment  were  snatched 
up  again  If  any  one  wishes  to  be  poHte,  he  fastens  at 
the  end  of  the  string  a  beautiful  flower,  or  some  other 
pretty  litde  thing,  and  allows  it  to  be  caught  by  the 
lady  for  whom  it  is  intended.  The  street  boys  are  in 
general,  however,  the  greatest  winners  by  this  polite 
warfare ;  for  everything  which  misses  its  object  and 
falls  into  the  street  belongs  to  them,  and  that  is  not 
little 

"  On  Friday.  .  .  the  Corso  was  crowded  with  all  kinds 
of  costumes  and  masks  in  carriages  and  on   foot;  tne 


FREDERIKA  BREMER.  i6l 

windows  and  balconies  and  roofs  were  thronged  with 
dominoes  and  fantastic  costumes;  bouquets  of  flowers 
and  comfits  showered  down  through  the  air.  .  .  .  Two 
rows  of  carriages  drive  in  close  file  along  the  Corso. 
They  assaulted  each  other  incessantly;  besides  which, 
they  threw  their  missiles  up  to  the  windows  and  bal- 
conies, and  received  others  in  return.  Sometimes  a 
masquerading  gentleman  designs  to  present  you  with 
an  extremely  beautiful  bouquet ;  but  if  you  do  not  take 
great  care  it  is  quickly  snatched  away  by  some  lad, 
who  jumps  upon  the  step  or  wheel  of  the  carriage.  .  .  , 
Sometimes  the  procession  of  carriages  is  stopped  by  the 
crush,  and  woe  then  to  the  carriage  or  the  ladies  who 
happen  to  be  stopped  under  a  great  balcony,  for  they 
are  then  overwhelmed  by  such  a  shower  of  chalk  and 
powder  comfits,  which  rain  down  upon  them  like  hail, 
that  the  dominoes  and  outer  attire  are  spoiled  !  One  is 
fortunate  if  one  can  keep  one's  eyes  uninjured ;  but  a 
great  many  of  the  uneducated  class  amuse  themselves 
by  throwing  white  powder  into  people's  faces,  and  if  this 
gets  into  the  eyes,  it  sometimes  occasions  long  suffering ; 
sometimes  one  receives  a  great  blow  on  the  head  from 
an  immense  bouquet,  or  a  great  piece  of  confectioner}"-, 
as  hard  as  a  stone;  but  any  one  who  enters  into  the 
sport  must  tolerate  it — and,  happen  what  may,  people 
are  only  the  more  excited  and  filled  by  the  spirit  of  the 
time  .  .  .  That  which  interested  me  most  was  to  see 
the  handsome  Roman  women,  in  their  holiday  costume, 
standing    in    open    loges    in    the    lower   story   of    the 


i62  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

houses.  They  receive,  with  stoical  resignation,  the 
showers  of  comfits  and  bouquets  which  are  incessantly 
aimed  at  their  gold-adorned  heads.  Women  of  the 
peasant  class,  dressed  as  if  for  a  wedding  festival, 
with  bare  heads,  adorned  with  red  ribbon  and  grand 
ornaments,  were  also  the  principal  figures  in  many  of 
the  carriages.    .   .    . 

"The  streets  swarmed  with  harlequins,  punchinelios, 
and  jesters,  who  leaped  about,  talking  to  people  in  the 
carriages  and  on  foot,  inviting  to  drink,  pretending 
themselves  to  be  intoxicated,  and  spilling  the  beer  or 
water  on  the  right  hand  and  left ;  crowds  of  castanet- 
players  and  dancers,  in  every  variety  of  laughable, 
grotesque,  and  most  frequently  tatterdemalion  costume, 
beating  drums,  and  so  on — making  a  horrible  din. 
Sometimes,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  wild  confusion, 
a  kind  of  French  courtier  would  come  mincing  along, 
in  old-fashioned  costume,  leading  a  lady,  also  in  antique 
attire,  and,  gazing  on  the  right  hand  and  the  left  through 
an  immense  opera-glass,  making,  in  the  meantime,  the 
most  polite  bows.  However  much  he  might  be  pushed 
about,  or  powdered,  it  mattered  not;  he  only  gazed 
through  his  opera-glass,  and  bowed  ail  the  more,  and 
never  lost  his  self-possession.  In  the  midst  of  all  this 
whirl  and  confusion  comes  a  brilliant  procession:  it  is 
the  governor  of  the  city  and  the  Roman  senate,  driving 
in  a  great  number  of  grand  carriages,  with  splendid 
horses  and  servants;  gold  and  silver  shine  out,  and 
liveries  which   appear  to   be  covered  with   fire.      The 


FREDERIKA  BREMER.  163 

brilliant  cortege  advances  with  great  dignity  through  the 
many-coloured  mass  of  the  Corso  up  to  the  CapitoL" 

Not  the  least  interesting  pages  in  her  book  are  those 
descriptive  of  an  interview  which  she  enjoyed  with  the 
great  founder  of  Italian  unity,  Count  Cavour — the 
statesman  who  successfully  realized  the  dreams  of  the 
theorist,  and  raised  Italy  to  a  place  among  the  European 
Powers.  When  Miss  Bremer  saw  him,  he  was  still  the 
Minister  of  the  King  of  Sardinia ;  but  in  secret  was 
unweariedly  labouring  to  carry  out  the  policy  which 
placed  on  the  brow  of  the  King  of  Sardinia  the  Italian 
crown. 

Miss  Bremer  had  been  told  that  nothing  in  his  exterior 
revealed  the  astute  statesman ;  that,  on  the  contrary,  he 
looked  very  much  as  one  might  imagine  Dickens's  Mr. 
Pickwick  to  look ;  and  she  confesses  that  at  the  first 
glance  he  reminded  her  more  of  an  English  red-com- 
plexioned  country  squire,  who  rides  and  hunts,  eats  good 
dinners,  and  takes  life  lightly,  than  of  a  profound  and 
sagacious  politician,  who,  with  sure  glance  and  firm 
hand,  steers  the  vessel  of  the  State  towards  its  destined 
haven  over  the  stormy  waves  of  statecraft  But  quickly 
that  countenance  lighted  up,  and  the  more  Miss  Bremer 
studied,  during  their  long  conversation,  the  more  signifi- 
cant and  agreeable  she  found  it.  They  who  had  painted 
the  great  Minister's  portrait  had  not  understood  this 
countenance  nor  the  character  of  the  head.  There  was 
in  it  a  certain  squareness,  but  at  the  same  time  jrefine- 


t^i  l^VOA/AN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

ment.  The  complexion  was  fresh  and  delicate,  the  fore- 
head magnificent,  open,  with  ample  space  for  both  broad 
and  elevated  ideas;  clear,  Hvely,  and  penetrating  was 
the  glance  of  the  light  blue  eye ;  the  nose  and  mouth, 
as  well  as  the  shape  of  the  face,  not  unlike  those  of  the 
first  Napoleon,  having  the  same  delicacy  and  yet  firm- 
ness of  outline.  An  arch  expression  was  visible  in  the 
play  of  the  muscles  about  the  nose,  and  the  graciousness 
o(  the  sunny  South  was  in  the  smile.  As  to  stature,  he 
was  not  tall,  but  he  was  well-built,  and  his  figure  was 
solid  and  robust,  like  that  of  a  man  who  can  hold  his 
footing  firmly.  The  manners  were  easy,  calm,  and  very 
agreeable,  and  indicated  no  ordinary  power  of  self- 
control. 

Cavour  seemed  well  pleased  to  leam  that  even  in 
remote  Sweden  the  affairs  of  Piedmont  were  a  subject 
of  general  interest,  and  that  his  own  words  and  actions 
were  attentively  studied.  From  his  expressions  it  was 
evident  to  his  visitor  that  he  well  understood  the  Swedish 
government  and  constitution.  Its  mode  of  representa- 
tion he  pithily  characterized  as  "  heavy  machinery." 

To  Miss  Bremer's  numerous  questions  regarding  Pied- 
mont and  his  views  as  to  its  future,  he  replied  with 
kindly  simplicity  and  absolute  candour.  He  concluded 
with  a  forecast  abundantly  justified  by  events,  that  he 
would  eventually  conduct  Piedmont,  with  complete 
security,  into  a  path  whence  it  could  not  turn  back, 
and  she  saw  that  he  would  not  hesitate  to  make 
pecuniary  sacrifices  for  this  cause. 


FREDERIKA    BREMER.  165 

"Piedmont,"  he  said,  *'had  long  been  like  a  vessel 
which,  having  run  too  close  to  the  rocks,  was  prevented 
by  that  means  from  having  the  wind  in  her  sails,  and 
this  impediment  must  be  removed." 

One  of  the  means  to  this  end  mentioned  by  Cavour 
Was  the  gigantic  work  which  has  since  been  successfully 
accomplished,  the  tunnelHng  of  Mont  Cenis;  he  was 
of  opinion  that  this  would  facilitate  communication 
between  the  social  culture  and  social  life  of  the  most 
developed  of  the  European  cities. 

When  Miss  Bremer  expatiated  on  the  brilliant  hop^s 
for  the  future  of  all  Italy  which  Piedmont's  advance  on 
the  path  of  freedom  had  awakened,  he  did  not  dis- 
courage them,  but,  with  the  prudence  of  the  politician, 
refrained  from  anything  more  than  vague  expressions. 

To  her  observation  that  she  had  not  seen  any  states- 
man  who  appeared  to  bear  so  easily  the  burden  of  a 
statesman's  life,  he  answered,  with  a  smile  : — 

**  Ah !  'tj*5  so  only  in  appearance ;  for  behind,  in  the 
depth,  lie  ttt^-  ^  c^ires,  and  it  is  not  easy  to  keep  alight 
the  sacred  fire.^ 

In  Miss  Bremer's  opinion  the  appearance  was  not 
deceptive.  Acceding  to  what  she  heard  from  many  of 
his  friends,  Cavour  occupied  his  seat  with  tolerable  ease, 
and  without  undue  strain  discharged  his  duties  as  First 
Minister  of  Piedmont,  and  the  shaper  of  its  destiny. 
The  fact  was,  that  his  nature  was  that  of  a  statesman ; 
he  was  bom,  not  made,  and  performed  his  work  as 
Mozart   executed   his  symphonies  or  Raphael  painted 


/66  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

his  pictures,  without  torturing  his  brains,  without  any 
special  difficulty.  In  his  sphere  of  duty  he  was  as 
much  a  genius  and  an  artist  as  they  were. 

At  parting  she  earnestly  urged  him  to  give  juster  laws 
to  the  women  of  Piedmont,  who,  in  all  that  appertained 
to  the  right  of  inheritance,  were  greatly  inferior  to  men. 
M.  de  Cavour  laughed,  half  cynically,  as  at  an  expression 
called  forth  by  a  certain  esprit  de  corps;  but  afterwards  he 
discoursed  seriously  on  the  difficulties  which,  particularly 
amongst  an  agricultural  population,  stood  in  the  way  of 
an  equal  right  of  inheritance.  Miss  Bremer  listened 
with  greater  pleasure  when  he  added,  with  the  accent  of 
conviction,  that  in  any  case  equal  right  of  inheritance 
would  become  law,  sooner  or  later,  amongst  them.  It 
existed  in  the  spirit  and  tendency  of  all  their  legislation, 
and,  besides,  it  was  right.* 


•  One  or  two  quotations,  illustrative  of  Frederika  Bremer's 
style,  we  may  give  in  a  note.  And,  first,  her  impression  of  the 
mountains  ("Two  Years  in  Switzerland  and  Italy,''  i.  239)  : — 

*'  They  stand  in  nature  like  the  prophets  of  the  Old  Testament, 
or,  more  correctly  speaking,  like  the  old  wise  men  and  teachers  of 
the  p  gan  world,  and  point  us  to  a  greatness  high  above  that  in 
which  we,  the  children  of  the  valleys  and  the  plains,  have  our 
being.  For  these  pyramids  are  not  the  pleasantest  things  upon 
earth,  they  are  not  the  fragrance  of  the  flowers,  not  the  singing  of 
the  birds,  not  the  changmg  life  of  the  seasons.  Imperishable  in 
their  eternal  place,  they  are  moved  alone  by  the  sun.  The  sun 
alone  causes  them  to  glow  or  become  pale,  and  to  paint  for  us 
images  of  life  or  of  death.  But  they  alone  receive  its  earliest  beams 
in  the  morning,  and  retain  its  light  in  the  evening  long  after  it  has 
departed  from  us.  It  is  in  their  bosoms  that  spring  feeds  the  great 
rivers  which  fertilize  the  earth,  foster  the  life  of  cities,  and  extend 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  \fff 

Jt  was  in  the  spring  of  1859  that  Miss  Breraer  set 
out  for  the  East.  The  voyage,  to  one  of  so  vivid  an 
imagination  and  of  such  profound  religious  impressions, 


themselves,  beautifying,  benefiting,  even  to  the  smallest  blades  erf 
grass." 

And,  secondly,  the  Simplon  (ibid.  i.  315,  316) : — 
"  The  scenery  was  wild,  and  of  an  imposing  grandeur.  The  sun 
shone  upon  the  mass  of  cloud,  and  wind  chased  the  niisty  shadows 
amongst  the  mountains.  All  around,  in  an  immense  circle,  glaciers 
and  snow-clad  mountain-peaks  gleamed  forth  from  amongst  the 
clouds.  Before  me  rose  a  lofty  mountain,  shaped  like  a  cupola,  the 
top  of  which  was  covered  with  a  black  cloud,  whilst  the  lower  part 
was  lighted  up  by  bright  sunshine.  It  was  the  peak  of  the  Simplon. 
Troops  of  misty  shapes  were  chased  round  it  by  the  wind,  as  in  a 
wild  sweep,  whilst  they  strove  to  reach  the  top,  which  seemed  in  its 
turn  to  reject  them.  The  black  cloud  lay  threateningly  above,  and 
the  white,  misty  spectres  careered  around  like  the  unhappy  and 
unsettled  souls  in  the  Hell  of  Dante.  Still  increasing  in  number, 
they  ascended  from  the  depth  below ;  still  more  and  more  wildly 
were  they  chased  round  the  ice-clad  mountain — clad  as  in  tatters  of 
ice— into  the  dazzling  sunshine  beneath  the  black  forbidding  cloud. 
Masses  of  water  were  hurled  down  from  the  neighbouring  glaciers 
with  thundering  din.  There  is  danger  here  from  avalanches  during 
spring  and  autumn,  and  for  that  reason  strong  stone  galleries  are 
built  in  many  parts  of  the  road  to  serve  as  a  shelter  for  people  and 
for  carriages.  Avalanches  and  torrents  are  hurled  down  over  the 
arched  roofs  and  into  the  abyss  on  the  other  side.  Even  now  masses 
of  ice  hang  threateningly  upon  the  heights  to  the  left  along  the  road ; 
but  these  will  dissolve  in  foaming  rivers,  which  will  find  their  outlets 
in  deep  clefts  of  the  mountain,  over  which  the  road  is  carried,  or 
they  are  conveyed  away  by  means  of  strongly  constructed  gutters 
over  the  roofs  of  the  stone  galleries.  One  of  these  streams  is  hurled 
down  with  a  force  and  a  din  which  is  deafening.  The  whole  of  this 
scene  was  so  wild  and  so  magnificent  that  it  thrilled  me  at  once  with, 
terror  and  joy.  The  sun  gleamed  through  all  as  with  lightning- 
flashes,  and  as  if  in  combat  with  the  demons  of  nature." 

II 


168  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

was  full  of  living  interest.  She  spent  long,  solitary 
hours  on  the  deck  of  the  vessel  that  conveyed  her,  and 
allowed  her  fancy  free  course  over  that  sea  with  a 
thousand  historic  memories — the  Mediterranean.  With 
vigilant  eye  she  watched  the  waves  as  they  rolled  past 
with  glittering  crests  of  foam,  and  the  lights  and  shadows 
which  chased  one  another  in  swift  succession  over  the 
purple  expanse,  as  sunshine  or  cloud  rested  on  the 
bosom  of  the  sapphire  sky 

"  The  heavens,"  she  exclaims,  "  declare  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  firmament  sheweth  His  handiwork. 
Words  are  powerless  to  describe  the  beauty  of  the 
day,  and  the  scene  which  developed  before  me.  We 
were  sailing  on  the  sea  of  Syria  towards  the  East — the 
country  of  the  morning — and  what  a  brightness  shone 
around  us  !  I  think  that  never  before  had  I  seen  the 
sun  so  luminous,  so  instinct  with  flame,  or  the  sky  and 
the  sea  so  transparent.  The  latter  is  of  a  deep  blue, 
lightly  rippled  ;  here  and  there  small  wave-crests,  white 
with  foam,  surge  up,  like  lilies,  from  the  infinite  depths. 
The  air  is  soft  and  mild ;  sometimes  the  clouds  unite 
above  our  heads  and  slide  downwards  into  the  west, 
while  the  eastern  portion  of  the  celestial  vault  is  serene 
and  pure  as  a  diamond  of  the  finest  water.  Above 
and  around  us  we  see  only  the  sky  and  the  sea,  but 
they  are  calm  and  beautiful." 

The  Holy  Land  comes  in  sight,  and  a  flood  of 
emotions  rushes  upon  our  poet's  soul.  "  David,"  she 
says,  "did  not  rise  earlier  than  I  to  see  the  daybreak 


FREDERIKA   BREMER,  169 

over  the  shores  of  Palestine.  A  fire-red  cloud  was 
spread  like  an  arch  above  the  verdurous  hills,  green  with 
palms  and  other  trees.  Upon  a  height  near  the  shore 
was  grouped  a  mass  of  houses  of  grey  stone,  with  low 
cupola  roofs.  Here  and  there  the  palm-trees  towered 
among  them.  It  was  Jaffa,  the  ancient  Joppa,  one  of 
the  oldest  cities  in  the  world.  In  the  distance  rose  a 
chain  of  deep  blue  mountains,  perpendicular  as  a  wall ; 
it  was  the  Judaean  chain.  Further  to  the  west,  another 
considerable  chain  descended  seaward  ;  that  was  Carmel. 
At  a  still  greater  distance,  in  the  same  direction,  and 
in  the  interior  of  the  country,  is  a  lofty  mountain,  snow- 
crowned,  and,  beyond  that  wall  of  rock,  invisible  to  our 
eyes,  lay  Jerusalem  !" 

Landing  at  Joppa,  Miss  Bremer  and  her  party  hired 
horses  to  carry  them  to  the  Holy  City ;  but  it  was  not 
without  much  mental  perturbation  that  the  novehst, 
who  was  but  an  indifferent  equestrian,  saw  herself  at  the 
mercy  of  a  young  and  fierj'  courser.  On  this  occasion 
she  gained  two  victories — one  over  herself  and  one  over 
her  steed,  whose  ardent  impatience  she  contrived  to 
master. 

The  small  caravan  with  which  Miss  Bremer  travelled 
included  a  Russian  princess,  two  boyars,  and  some 
Englishmen;  among  others  there  was  a  professor  with 
a  cynical  smile  and  a  sarcastic  wit,  who  possessed  a 
happy  faculty  of  describing,  in  epigrammatic  phrase  and 
always  at  the  right  moment,  the  more  noticeable  features 
of  the  manners  of  the  natives.     While  the  first-named 


I70  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

of  these  eminent  personages  rode  in  advance,  Mr. 
Levison,  the  professor,  remained  by  the  side  of  Miss 
Bremer  in  the  rear.  Between  the  two  cultured  minds 
there  was  a  certain  bond  of  sympathy,  and  the  length 
of  the  journey  was  beguiled  by  their  animated  con- 
versations. 

The  professor  amused  himself  by  calling  our  novelist 
Sitti,  an  Arabic  title  bestowed  upon  women  of  high  rank, 
and  almost  equivalent  to  that  of  "  princess."  Abhul, 
the  guide,  overhearing  it,  inquired  if  she  were  a  kins- 
woman of  the  Sultan  of  Prussia,  Frederick !  "  Yes," 
answered  Mr.  Levison,  gravely,  "  she  is  a  kinswoman, 
but  a  distant  one."  And  then  he  apprised  his  fellow- 
traveller  of  the  new  dignity  he  had  conferred  upon 
her. 

This  was  sufficient  to  convert  Abhul  into  her  devoted 
slave.  He  was  mightily  proud  of  attending,  and  acting 
as  guide  to,  a  princess  of  royal  blood.  He  almost  went 
down  on  his  knees  before  her;  his  attentions  were 
unremitting.  The  title  which  had  been  flashed  before 
him  produced  on  his  commonplace  mind  a  thousand 
times  the  effect  that  would  have  been  produced  by 
the  knowledge  that,  plain  Uttle  middle-class  dame  as  she 
was,  the  humble  Swedish  lady  was  infinitely  more  cele- 
brated than  three-fourths  of  the  princesses  of  Europe. 
But  there  are  hundreds  of  our  own  compatriots  who  are 
quite  as  eager  tuft-hunters  as  this  poor  Arab  guide! 
John  Bull  dearly  loves  "  a  lord,"  while  before  "  a  princess" 
his  soul  creeps  and  grovels  in  infinite  abasement. 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  171 

"This  ridiculous  mania  for  titles  which  overwhelmed 
the  guide  Abhul"  is,  nevertheless,  in  M.  Cortambert's 
opinion,  "  one  of  the  most  pronounced  characteristics  of 
the  boastful  and  childish  genius  of  the  Orientals.  The 
Turks  and  Arabs  cannot  believe  in  the  importance  of 
personages  without  titles  of  distinction;  and  hence  the 
smallest  proletaire  who  can  equip  a  caravan  is  saluted 
with  the  name  of  excellency.  M.  de  Lamartine  was 
hailed  as  prince  and  lord ;  he  was  supposed,  I  believe, 
to  belong  to  the  House  of  Orleans.  One  of  our  friends, 
an  artist  of  high  merit,  by  no  means  desirous  of  being 
taken  for  that  which  he  was  not,  and  valuing  more 
highly  his  personal  repute  than  all  the  titles  in  the  world, 
could  not  shake  off  the  rank  of  prince,  which  welcomed 
him  at  every  village.  Since  the  visit  of  M.  de  Lamar- 
tine every  French  traveller  seems  to  be  regarded  as  a 
seigneur  of  illustrious  lineage.  One  easily  understands 
that  the  purse  of  the  tourist  was  the  first  to  suffer  from 
this  circumstance.  Several  times  our  friend  endeavoured 
to  set  his  guide  right,  but  in  vain ;  the  moukra  was  un- 
willing to  pass,  in  the  eyes  of  his  companions,  for  the 
conductor  of  a  private  individual  By  elevating  his 
master  he  thought  that  he  was  raising  himsel£" 

Frederika  Bremer  did  not  allow  her  supposititious 
title  of  Sitti  to  blind  her  to  the  fact  that  she  was  before 
all  a  poet  and  a  woman  of  letters.  On  entering  Jeru- 
salem she  gave  the  reins  to  her  imagination,  and  set 
herself  to  work  on  one  of  those  delightful  letters  which 


172  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

afterwards  formed  the  basis  of  a  complete  narrative  of 
her  Eastern  tour.  "  I  raise  my  hands,"  she  says, 
"  towards  the  mountain  of  the  house  of  the  Lord, 
experiencing  an  indescribable  thankfulness  for  my  safe 
arrival  here.  I  am  in  Jerusalem ;  I  dwell  upon  the 
hill  of  Zion — the  hill  of  King  David.  From  my  window 
the  view  embraces  all  Jerusalem,  that  ancient  and 
venerable  cradle  of  the  grandest  memories  of  humanity 
— the  origin  of  so  many  sanguinary  contests,  so  many 
pilgrimages,  hymns  of  praise,  and  chants  of  sorrow." 

Everybody  knows  what  constitutes  a  traveller's  life 
in  Palestine :  a  succession  of  pilgrimages  to  the  several 
places  connected  with  Old  Testament  history,  or  with 
the  life  of  our  Lord ;  a  constant  renewal  of  those 
touching  experiences  which  so  deeply  impress  the  heart 
and  brain  of  every  Christian.  Even  the  freethinker 
cannot  gaze  without  emotion  on  the  shrines  of  a 
religion  which  has  so  largely  affected  the  destinies  of 
humanity  and  the  currents  of  the  world's  history.  What, 
then,  must  be  the  feeling  with  which  they  are  regarded 
by  those  to  whom  that  religion  is  the  sure  promise  of 
eternal  life  ?  Not  Greece,  with  its  memories  of  poets, 
sages  and  patriots ;  its  haunted  valleys  and  mysterious 
mountain-tops;  nor  Italy,  with  its  glories  of  art  and 
nature,  and  its  footprints  of  a  warrior-people,  once  rulers 
of  the  known  world,  so  appeals  to  the  thoughtful  mind 
as  does  the  Holy  Land,  in  the  fulness  of  its  sanctity 
as  the  home  and  dwelling-place  of  Jesus  Christ. 

But  the  attention  of  Miss  Bremer  was  not  wholly  given 


FREDERIKA   BREMER,  173 

to  the  hallowed  scenes  by  which  she  was  surrounded. 
In  the  East,  as  in  the  West,  she  reverted  to  the  ques- 
tion of  woman's  independence,  the  restoration  of  her 
sex  to  its  natural  and  legitimate  freedom.  What  she 
saw  was  not  of  a  nature  to  cheer  and  encourage  her. 
Nowhere  else  is  the  condition  of  woman  so  deplorable ; 
not  so  much  because  she  is  deprived  of  her  liberty  as 
because  she  is  condemned  to  the  most  absolute  ignor- 
ance. And  in  this  ignorance  lies  one  of  the  principal 
causes  of  Oriental  degeneracy;  for  the  young,  being 
brought  up  in  the  polluted  atmosphere  of  the  harem, 
undergo  a  fatal  enervation  of  body  and  soul,  and  imbibe 
the  germs  of  the  most  fatal  vices. 

One  day,  in  company  with  several  young  persons  of 
her  own  sex,  Frederika  Bremer  paid  a  visit  of  courtesy 
to  the  wife  of  a  sheikh,  who,  when  informed  that  the 
ladies  she  had  admitted  to  her  presence  were  unmarried, 
manifested  the  liveliest  surprise,  and  added  that  it  was 
a  great  shame.  The  girls  laughingly  pointed  to  Miss 
Bremer  as  being  also  a  spinster;  whereupon  their  hostess 
threatened  to  withdraw,  declaring  herself  overwhelmed, 
and,  indeed,  almost  scandalized  by  such  a  revelation. 
However,  on  reaching  the  threshold  she  turned  back- 
and  desired  to  know  what  had  induced  the  European 
lady  to  remain  unmarried.  The  reasons  given  in  reply 
must  have  been,  we  suppose,  of  a  shocking  character, 
since  she  cut  them  short  by  a  declaration  that  she  did 
not  wish  to  hear  such  things  spoken  of. 

To  this  example  of  the  complete  condition  01  mora* 


174  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

dependence  to  which  even  the  wives  of  sheikhs  are 
degraded,  Miss  Bremer  adds  another  and  not  less 
characteristic  fact.  She  asked  several  young  women, 
distinguished  by  their  eager  and  animated  air,  whether 
they  had  no  desire  to  travel  and  see  Allah's  beautiful 
earth. 

"  Oh  no,"  they  replied,  "  for  women  that  would  be  a 
sin!" 

Women  bred  in  this  state  of  mental  and  moral  degra- 
dation can  never  play  an  important  part  in  the  regenera- 
tion of  the  East. 

A  philosopher  first,  a  poet  after,  and  sometimes  a 
painter,  such  is  Frederika  Bremer.  She  does  not  often 
paint  a  picture,  however ;  when  she  does,  it  is  brightly 
coloured,  and  its  details  are  carefully  elaborated;  but 
her  skill  is  more  favourably  displayed  in  portraiture.  Her 
palette  is  not  rich  enough  in  glowing  colours  to  repro- 
duce fairly  the  warm  luxuriant  landscapes  of  the  East. 
For  this  reason  she  excels  m  a  sketch  like  the  following, 
where  she  deals  not  with  sky,  and  sea,  and  mountain, 
but  the  humanity  in  those  types  of  it  which  crowd  the 
streets  and  lanes  of  the  Holy  City : — 

"  The  population  of  Jerusalem,"  she  says,  "  I  would 
divide  into  three  classes  :  the  smokers,  the  criers,  and 
the  mutes  or  phantoms.  The  first-named,  forming  in 
groups  or  bands,  are  seated  outside  the  cafe's  smoking, 
while  youths  in  the  pretty  Greek  costume  hasten  from 
one  to  another  with  a  wretched-looking  coffee-pot  and 
pour  out  the  coffee- — the  blacker  it  is  the  more  highly 


FREDERIKA    BREMER.  175 

"it  is  esteemed — into  very  small  cups.  With  an  air  of 
keen  satisfaction  the  smokers  quaff  it,  drop  by  droo. 
Frequently  one  of  them  delivers  himself  of  a  recital 
•with  very  animated  gestures ;  the  others  Usten  attentively, 
but  you  seldom  see  them  laugh.  In  the  caf^  may  often 
be  heard  the  sound  of  a  guitar,  accompanied  by  a  dull 
monotonous  strain,  in  celebration  of  warlike  exploits  or 
love  adventures ;  the  Arabs  give  to  it  their  pleased 
attention.  In  the  bazaars,  in  the  shops,  wherever  a 
pacific  life  predominates,  smokers  are  met  with.  Those 
•wearing  a  green  turban  spring  from  the  stock  of 
Mohammed,  or  else  have  performed  the  pilgrimage  to 
Mecca  and  learned  the  Koran  by  heart,  which  raises 
them  to  the  rank  of  holy  men. 

"The  criers'  class  of  Jerusalem  consists  of  all  who 
•sell  in  the  streets,  of  the  camel  and  donkey  drivers,  and 
of  the  country-women  who  daily  bring  fuel,  herbs,  vege- 
tables, and  eggs,  into  the  city.  They  generally  station 
themselves  and  their  wares  on  the  Place  de  Jaffa,  and 
scream  in  a  frightful  manner;  one  would  think  they 
were  quarrelling,  when,  in  reality,  they  are  only  gossiping. 
These  women  allow  their  dirty  mantles  or  veils  to  fall 
"from  the  head  down  upon  the  back,  and  do  not  cover 
the  face.  They  are  always  decked  and  sometimes  plated 
with  silver  ornaments.  Silver  coins,  strung  together,  are 
carried  in  bands  across  the  forehead,  and  hang  down 
the  cheeks.  Their  fingers  are  covered  with  rings  and 
their  wrists  with  bracelets.  Not  unfrequently  you  will 
see   very  young   t^nrls    with    the    face    framed    in   silver 


176  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

money,  to  correspond  with  their  head-gear — a  small  cap» 
or  hood  embroidered  with  Turkish  piastres,  set  as  close 
cogether  as  the  scales  of  a  fish. 

"  I  have  heard  it  said  that  this  cap  is  a  maiden's 
dower.  The  country-women  are  often  remarkable  for  a 
kind  of  savage  beauty,  but  generally  they  are  ugly,  with 
an  expression  of  rudeness  and  ill-nature.  They  are  a 
collection  of  sorceresses,  whom  I  feared  more  than  the- 
men  of  the  same  class,  though  the  latter  assuredly  did 
not  inspire  me  with  much  confidence. 

"The  Arab  women  of  high  rank,  enveloped  in  long, 
white  mantles,  and  with  their  faces  hidden  by  a  close  veil 
of  black,  yellow,  or  blue  gauze,  form  my  third  division. 
They  walk,  or  rather  totter,  through  the  streets  in 
numerous  groups  or  bands,  shod  with  yellow  slippers  or 
boltines,  to  enjoy  a  promenade  outside  the  Jaffa  Gate. 
You  never  hear  them  utter  a  word  in  the  streets,  nor  do 
they  pause  for  a  moment.  If  that  black  or  yellow  object 
approach  you,  covered  with  her  white  veil,  and  turn- 
in  your  direction,  it  is  with  an  expressive,  a  piercing, 
questioning  glance ;  but  you  cannot  discover  nor  even- 
divine  the  face  concealed  by  that  coloured  gauze.  These 
poor  dumb  phantoms,  who  are  all  the  more  to  be  pitied 
because  they  have  no  idea  that  they  need  pity,  gene- 
rally betake  themselves  to  the  cemeteries,  where,  seated 
under  the  olive  trees,  they  spend  the  day  in  doing 
nothing." 

The  ease,  grace,  and  dramatic  power  of  this  descrip- 
tion no  reader  will  question. 


FRED  ERIK  A   BREMER.  nr 

After  visiting  most  shrines  of  interest  in  the  Holy 
Land,  Miss  Bremer  extended  her  tour  to  the  Turkish 
sea-coast,  and  investigated  all  that  was  worth  seeing  at 
Beyrout,  Tripoli,  Latakia,  Rhof'es,  Smyrna,  and  Con- 
stantinople. In  bidding  farewell  to  the  East,  she 
expressed  her  joy  and  delight  at  having  seen  it,  but 
added  that  not  all  its  gold,  nor  all  its  treasure,  would 
induce  her  to  spend  her  days  in  its  indolent  and 
luxurious  atmosphere.  She  loved  the  West,  with  its 
intellectual  activity  and  deep  moral  life,  its  progress 
and  its  aspirations  after  the  higher  liberty.  The 
inertia  of  the  East  irritates  a  strong  brain  almost  to. 
madness. 

Her  next  pilgrimage  was  to  classic  Greece,  the  land  of 
Solon  and  Lycurgus,  Pericles  and  Pisistratus,  ^schylus, 
Sophocles,  Euripides,  and  Demosthenes — the  land  of 
Byron  and  Shelley — the  land  of  poetry  and  patriotism, 
of  the  myths  of  gods  and  the  histories  of  heroes — the 
land  which  Art  and  Nature  have  fondly  combined  to 
enrich  with  their  choicest  treasures.  The  impression 
it  made  upon  her  was  profound.  Writing  at  Athens, 
she  says  : — 

"  I  confess  that  the  effect  produced  upon  me  here  by 
life  and  the  sunounding  objects  makes  me  almost  dreadi 
to  remain  for  any  length  of  time ;  dread,  lest  beneath 
this  clear  Olympian  heaven,  and  amid  all  the  delightful 
entertainment  offered  to  the  senses,  it  might  be  possible^ 
not,  indeed,  to  forget,  but  to  feel  much  less  forcibly  the 
great  aim  and  purpose  of  that  life  for  which  the  God- 


178  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Man  lived,  died,  and  rose  again  from  the  dead.  'Tbey 
who  cannot  bear  strong  wines  should  not  make  use  of 
them.'  For  this  reason,  therefore,  I  shall  soon  leave 
Greece,  and  return  to  my  Northern  home,  the  cloudy 
skies  and  long  winters  of  which  will  not  delude  me  mto 
finding  an  earthly  existence  too  bewitchingly  beautiful. 
Yet  am  I  glad  that  I  shall  be  able  to  say  to  the  men  and 
women  in  the  far  North,  'If  there  be  any  one  among  you 
who  suffers  both  in  body  and  soul  from  the  bleak  cold  of 
the  North,  or  from  the  heavy  burden  of  its  life,  let  him 
come  hither.  Not  to  Italy,  where  prevails  too  much 
sirocco,  and  the  rain,  when  it  once  begins,  rains  as  if  it 
would  never  leave  off ;  no,  but  hither,  where  the  air  is 
pure  as  the  atmosphere  of  freedom,  the  heavens  as 
free  from  cloud  as  the  dweUings  of  the  gods ;  where  the 
temples  on  the  heights  lift  the  glance  upwards,  and  the 
sea  and  the  mountams  expand  vast  horizons  to  the  eye, 
rich  in  colour,  in  thought,  and  in  feeling;  where  all 
things  are  full  of  hope-awakening  life — antiquity,  the 
present,  and  the  future.  Let  him,  beneath  the  sacred 
colonnades  on  the  hills,  or  in  the  shade  of  the  classic 
groves  in  the  valleys,  listen  anew  to  the  divine  Plato, 
•enjoy  the  grapes  of  the  vales  of  Ath^nd,  the  figs  from 
the  native  village  of  Socrates,  honey  from  the  thyme- 
scented  hills  of  Hymettus  and  Cithaeron,  feed  the  glance 
■and  the  mind,  the  soul  and  the  body,  daily  with  that  old, 
ever -young  beauty — that  which  was,  and  that  which  now 
■spilngs  up  to  new  life,  and  he  will  be  restored  to  his 
usual  vigour  of  health ;  or,  dying,  will  thank  God  that 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  17^ 

the  earth  can  become  a  vestibule  to  the  Father's  home 
aoove.'"* 

"  1  shall  soon  leave  Greece,"  she  writes ;  but  the 
charm  of  Hellas  proved  too  powerful  for  her,  and  she 
spent  nearly  a  year  iii  visiting  its  memorable  places.  It 
was  in  the  early  days  of  August,  1859,  that  she  landed 
at  Athens;  in  the  early  days  of  June,  i860,  she  arrived 
at  Venice.  In  the  interval  she  had  visited  Nauplia, 
Argos,  and  Corinth;  had  sailed  amongst  the  beautiful 
islands  of  the  blue  ^gean ;  had  wandered  in  the  classic 
vale  of  Eurotas,  and  amongst  the  ruins  of  Sparta ;  had 
traversed  Thessaly,  and  sur\'eyed  the  famous  Pass  where 
Leonidas  and  his  warriors  stood  at  bay  against  the  hosts 
ot  Persia ;  had  mused  in  the  oracular  shades  of  Delphi, 
and  gazed  at  the  haunted  peak  of  Parnassus,  and  looked 
upon  all  that  remains  of  hundred-gated  Thebes.  It  is 
impossible  for  us  to  follow  in  all  this  extended  circuit, 
and  over  ground  so  rich  in  tradition  and  association. 
Wherever  she  went  she  carried  the  great  gift  of  a  refined 
taste  and  a  cultivated  mind,  so  that  she  was  always  ir 
full  accord  with  the  scene,  could  appreciate  its  character, 
and  recall  whatever  was  memorable  about  it  It  is  only 
thus  that  travel  can  be  made  profitable,  or  that  a 
genuine  enjoyment  can  be  derived  from  it ;  just  as  it  is 
only  an  harmonious  nature  that  feels  the  full  charm  ot 
music. 

There  are  delightful  pages  in  Miss  Bremer's  "Greece 

•  "Greece  and  the  Greeks,"  i.  40,  41. 


fSi5  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRA  FELLER. 

and  the  Greeks " ;  the  keen  pleasure  she  felt  in  the 
classic  and  lovely  scenes  around  her  she  knows  how  to 
<:ommunicate  to  her  readers  ;  her  literary  skill  puts  them 
before  us  in  all  their  freshness  of  colour  and  purity  of 
atmosphere.  Let  us  take  a  picture  from  Naxos,  the 
island  consecrated  by  the  lovely  legend  of  Ariadne ;  it 
shall  be  a  landscape  fit  to  inspire  a  poet's  song : — 

"  Villa  Somariva  is  situated  on  the  slope  of  a  moun- 
tain, or  on  one  of  the  many  terraces  which  are  formed 
trom  the  slopes.  Behind  the  villa  lies,  somewhat  higher 
up  the  mountain,  a  little  village  of  white-washed,  small, 
den-like  houses,  and  a  yet  whiter  chirch ;  and  still 
higher  up  than  the  village,  a  square  tower — Pyrgos — in 
the  style  of  the  Middle  Ages.  Below,  and  on  both  sides 
-of  our  villa,  spread  out  extensive  grounds,  consisting  of 
private  gardens  and  groves,  separated  from  each  other 
by  two  walls,  almost  concealed  from  the  eye  by  the 
number  of  trees  and  bushes  which  grow  there  in  a  state 
of  nature  and  with  all  its  luxuriance.  Vines  clamber  up 
mto  the  lofty  olive  trees,  and  fall  down  again  in  light 
green  festoons,  heavy  with  grapes,  which  wave  in  the 
wind.  Slender  cypresses  rise  up  from  amidst  brightly 
verdant  groves  of  orange,  fig,  pomegranate,  plum,  and 
peach  trees.  Tall  mulberry  trees,  umbrageous  planes, 
and  ash  trees  glance  down  upon  thickets  and  hedges 
of  blossoming  myrtles,  oleanders,  and  the  aguus  cactus. 
Prom  amidst  this  garden-paradise,  which  occupies  r!ie 
whole  higher  portion  of  the  entire  extent  of  the  valley, 
rise  here  and  there  white  villas,  with   ornaments   upon 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  i8l 

their  roofs  and  balconies,  with  small  towers,  which  show 
a  mediaeval  Venetian  origin.  Around  the  valley  ascend 
mountains  in  a  wide  circuit,  their  slopes  covered  with 
shadowy  olive  woods,  and  cultivated  almost  to  their 
summits,  which  are  rounded  and  not  very  high.  These 
larger  villages,  with  their  churches,  and  half  a  dozen 
lesser  homesteads,  are  situated  on  the  terraces  of  the 
hills,  surrounded  by  cultivated  fields  and  olive  groves. 
All  these  houses  are  of  stone,  and  white-washed,  and 
all  approach  the  square  or  dice-like  form.  From  our 
windows  and  balconies  which  face  the-  west,  we  cai> 
overlook  almost  the  whole  of  this  extensive  valley,  and 
beyond  a  depression  in  its  ring  of  mountains,  we  see  the 
white-grey  marble  tympanum  of  Pares,  with  its  two  sister 
cupolas,  surrounded  by  that  clear  blue  vapour  which 
makes  it  apparent  that  the  sea  Hes  between  them  and 
our  island.  On  the  side  opposite  to  the  softly-rounded 
crown  of  Paros  shines  out  the  interior  summit  of  Naxos, 
high  above  the  mountain  of  Melan^s,  a  giant  head 
upon  giant  shoulders,  which  are  called  Bolibay,  and 
have  a  fantastic  appearance. 

"But  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  the  Fountain  of 
Beauty,  in  the  valley  of  Melan^s,  the  fountain  of  its 
fertility — the  Flcario,  which  flows  in  many  small  streams 
through  the  gardens,  and  supplies  us  with  the  most 
glorious  water.  .  .  .  The  river  Fleurio  bounds  along  the 
middle  of  the  valley,  and  makes  its  fields  green;  it 
murmurs  meanderingly  along  over  a  deep  bed  of  marble 
blocks  and  stones,  its  banks  garlanded  with  fine-leaved, 

12 


I82  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

white-flowering  savin  and  oleanders ;  besides  being 
overshadowed  in  many  places  by  the  most  beautiful  plane 
trees  stretching  out  their  high  branches  to  each  other 
across  the  little  stream,  which  in  its  calm  but  fresh 
career,  and  its  romantic  meanderings,  is  a  living  image 
of  a  beautiful  quiet  life." 

Not  the  least  interesting  of  Miss  Bremer's  many 
pilgrimages  was  the  one  she  made  to  that  plain  of 
Marathon,  where  the  genius  of  Miltiades  beat  back 
the  legions  of  Persia  under  Datis — the  scene  of  the 
first  great  victory  of  the  West  over  the  East.  The 
lower  portion  of  the  plain,  which  skirts  the  coast,  was 
clothed  with  abundant  harvests  of  wheat  and  rye, 
which  waved  softly  in  the  wind.  What  monument, 
asks  Miss  Bremer,  could  have  been  more  beautiful  for 
those  brave  men  whose  dust  has  been  mingled  with  the 
.earth  ?*  After  thousands  of  years  their  heroic  conten- 
tion for  liberty  had  prepared  freedom  and  peace  for 
Greece.  The  seed  they  sowed  was  "flaming"  seed, 
which  continues  to  live  even  in  the  darkness  of  the 
grave ;  seed  from  which  the  harvests  of  peace  spring 
up  in  all  their  glory. 

The  Swedish  novelist  and  her  companions  rested  and 
dined  on  the  greensward  at  a  spot  where  a  number  of 
white  marble  slabs  indicated  that  the  ancient  monuments 
had  stood  there.     Around  them  spread  the  shining  com- 

•  A  monument  has  since  been  erected. 


FREDERIKA   BREMER.  183 

fields,  and  myriads  of  beautiful  flowers  gleamed  amid 
the  grass.  In  the  afternoon  they  rambled  to  the  village 
of  Viana — old  Marathon — picturesquely  situated  at  the 
foot  of  Pentelicus.  Old  and  young  gathered  round  them 
in  the  village — a  poor,  ignorant,  half-savage  people,  but 
not  one  of  them  begged;  on  the  contrary,  they  were 
generous  and  hospitable  according  to  their  means.  They 
fetched  straw  mats  and  mattresses,  and  laid  them  on  the 
ground  round  a  large  tree.  .  .  In  a  deft  of  the  mountain, 
just  above  the  village,  stood  a  little  monastery  church, 
wonderfully  picturesque.  The  prospect  over  the  exten- 
sive plain,  the  gleaming  straits,  and  the  cliflfs  of  the 
island  of  Euboea,  is  full  of  inspiration.  Visitors  to 
Marathon,  in  search  of  mementoes,  generally  look  for 
tne  arrows  that  are  sometimes  found  upon  the  shore ; 
but  Miss  Bremer,  as  a  more  appropriate  souvenir,  carried 
avay  a  bouquet  of  wheat  ears  and  wild  everlastings. 

It  would  be  pleasant  to  follow  Miss  Bremer  from  place 
to  place  throughout  her  classic  wanderings,  for  such  a 
companion  enhances  the  delight  and  utility  of  travel ;  it 
is  like  studying  a  fine  poem  with  the  help  of  a  poet's 
interpretation  of  it  But  our  space  is  exhausted,  and 
the  reader  who  would  go  further  must  be  referred  to  her 
interesting  volumes.  Every  page  bears  the  stamp  of  a 
sympathetic  intelligence. 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA  TINNfi. 


FOR  the  female  mind,  ever  touching  at  one  extreme 
the  most  prosaic  matter-of-fact,  and  at  the  other 
the  most  exalted  sentiment,  with  an  almost  equal  capa- 
city for  realism  and  idealism,  the  combined  romance 
and  simplicity,  picturesqueness  and  primitiveness  of 
Oriental  life,  has  a  peculiar  charm.  So,  too,  in  the 
romance  of  Eastern  travel,  with  its  surprises  and  ad- 
ventures, its  strong  lights  and  profound  shadows,  it 
finds  an  exciting  contrast  to  that  commonplace  routine 
of  existence,  that  daily  round  of  conventionaHties,  which 
is  imposed  upon  them  by  the  social  tyranny  of  the  West. 
Fettered  as  women  are  in  highly  civilized  countries  by 
restraints,  obligations,  and  responsibilities,  which  are  too 
often  arbitrary  and  artificial,  their  impatience  of  them  is 
not  difficult  to  be  understood ;  and  it  is  natural  enough 
that  when  the  opportunity  offers,  they  should  hail  even 
a  temporary  emancipation.  No  doubt  it  is  this  motive 
which,  in  different  ways,  has  influenced  the  courageous 
ladies,  whose  names  in  the  present  century  have  been 

184 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXIN  A    TINN^.        185 

so  brilliantly  inscribed  on  the  record  of  Eastern  travel ; 
such  as  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,  Lady  Duff  Gordon, 
Lady  Baker,  Miss  Edwards,  and  Lady  Blunt  And  this 
motive  it  was,  strengthened  by  a  naturally  adventurous 
disposition,  which  induced  Mademoiselle  Alexina  Tinn6 
— of  whore  career  we  are  now  about  to  speak — to  incur 
the  perils  of  African  exploration. 

"Visitors  to  Algiers  some  years  ago,  will  rememoer 
the  air  of  mystery  hanging  about  a  certain  yacht  lymg 
off  the  harbour.  Rumour  spread  all  kinds  of  glowing 
reports  about  the  mistress  of  its  motley  crew,  Europeans, 
negroes,  and  stately  Nubians.  Some  said  it  was  an  Ori- 
ental princess  ;  one  invented  a  love  affair  to  account  lor 
the  lonely  wanderings  of  this  female  Odysseus ;  another 
hinted  darkly  at  some  political  mission  from  far-off  Mus- 
sulman courts  to  the  chiefs  of  the  Sahara.  The  bare 
truth,  when  at  last  it  was  made  known,  was  almost  as 
marvellous  as  anything  fiction  could  invent  on  behalf  of 
its  owner.  The  yacht,  indeed,  belonged  to  a  lady,  young, 
beautiful,  and  possessed  of  queenly  fortune,  whose 
existence,  almost  from  childhood,  had  been  spent  in  the 
East ;  who  had  already  accomplished  several  voyages  ol 
discovery  in  Central  Africa ;  and  who,  undaunted  by  the 
mishaps  of  former  pioneers  in  the  same  direction,  now 
projected  an  undertaking,  which,  if  carried  out  success- 
fully, would  place  her  in  the  foremost  rank  of  African 
explorers.'' 

Alexina,  or  Alexandrina  Tinn^,  was  born  at  the  Hague 
in  1835  ^^^y  according  to  some  authorities,  1839).     Her 


i86  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

father  was  a  Dutch  merchant,  who,  after  acquiring  a 
large  fortune  in  Demerara,  was  naturalized  in  England, 
and  finally  took  up  his  residence  at  Liverpool.  Her 
mother,  a  Dutch  baroness,  was  the  daughter  of  Admiral 
van  Capellen,  who  commanded  the  Dutch  squadron  of 
Lord  Exmouth's  fleet  at  the  bombardment  of  Algiers  in 
1816.  The  death  of  her  father  while  she  was  still  a 
child,  made  her  the  heiress  of  vast  wealth  ;  but  she 
was  fortunate  in  having  in  her  mother  a  prudent  and 
sagacious  guardian,  who  was  careful  that  her  education 
snould  in  all  respects  be  worthy  of  her  position.  She 
was  introduced  at  Court  at  an  exceptionally  early  age, 
and  became  a  great  favourite  of  the  Queen  of  Holland. 
Fate,  indeed,  seemed  to  have  placed  at  her  disposal 
everything  which  society  most  values,  and  to  have 
enabled  her  to  realize  in  an  unusual  degree  what  Dr. 
Johnson  so  happily  described  as  "the  potentialities  of 
wealth.*'  All  the  enjoyments  of  literary  and  artistic 
culture,  all  the  pleasures  of  a  refined  and  favoured  life, 
all  the  influence  for  good  or  evil  that  accrues  to  a  leader 
of  fashion,  were  commanded  by  this  young  lady  ;  and 
yet,  in  the  very  bloom  of  maidenhood,  she  voluntarily 
set  them  aside.  Whether  it  was  that  an  impatient  and  a 
restless  spirit  rebelled  against  social  conventionalisms,  or 
whether  she  was  actuated  by  an  earnest  love  of  know- 
ledge, or  whether  some  romance  of  crushed  hope  and 
rejected  love  was  involved,  is  not  certainly  known ;  but 
rich,  and  gifted,  and  fortunate  as  she  was,  she  suddenly 
disappeared  from  the  Hague  about  1859,  and  after  a 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN±.       187 

brief  visit  to  Norway  and  a  rapid  tour  to  Italy,  Con- 
stantinople, and  Palestine  proceeded  to  the  banks  of  the 
Nile.  In  company  vriih  her  mother  and  her  aunt  she 
examined  the  monuments  and  antiquities  of  Egypt,  and 
then  took  up  her  winter  residence  at  Cairo. 

This  experience  of  travel  sharpened  her  appetite  for 
adventure.  It  was  a  time  when  the  minds  of  men  were 
much  occupied  with  the  subject  of  African  exploration, 
and  we  need  not  wonder,  therefore,  that  it  attracted  the 
attention  of  Alexina  Tinn^.  She  appears  to  have  been 
by  nature  of  a  romantic  temperament,  with  an  imagina- 
tion as  lively  as  her  spirit  was  undaunted.  At  Palmyra 
she  had  dreamed  of  a  career  which  should  emulate  that 
of  Zenobia.  In  the  Lebanon  she  had  a  vision  of 
installing  herself  as  successor  to  Lady  Hester  Stanhope. 
And  now  she  conceived  the  idea  of  competing  for  the 
suffrages  of  posterity  with  Burton  and  Livingstone, 
Speke  and  Baker.  To  some  extent  she  was  influenced, 
perhaps,  by  the  wide-spread  reputation  of  Mrs.  Petherick, 
the  wife  of  the  English  consul  at  Khartum;  but  no 
doubt  her  main  desire  was  to  solve  the  great  enigma 
of  the  Nilitic  sphinx,  and  show  that  a  woman  could 
succeed  where  men  had  failed.  What  an  immortality  of 
fame  would  be  hers  if  she  prevailed  over  every  obstacle 
and  difficulty,  and  penetrated,  as  no  European  yet 
had  done,  to  the  remote  source,  the  parent  foimtain  of 
the  waters  of  Egypt's  great  historic  river !  It  must  be 
owned  that,  if  this  were  her  ambition,  there  was  nothing 
mean  or  unworthy  in  it 


i88  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

She  set  out  on  the  9th  of  January,  1862,  still  accom- 
panied by  her  mother  and  her  aunt,  over  whom  her  reso- 
lute nature  exercised  an  undisputed  ascendancy,  voyaging 
in  their  boats,  which  carried  a  large  stock  of  provisions, 
an  ample  supply  of  money,  chiefly  in  copper,  and  a 
numerous  train  of  guides,  guards,  and  servants.  In  the 
largest  and  most  commodious  dahabuyah  went  the 
three  ladies,  with  a  Syrian  cook  and  four  European 
servants.  Alexina's  journal,  it  is  said,  preserves  many 
curious  details  in  unconscious  illustration  of  the  mixed 
character  of  this  expedition,  which  might  almost  have 
been  that  of  a  new  Cleopatra  going  to  meet  a  new  Mark 
Antony;  we  see  the  beauty  there  as  well  as  the  heroine ; 
the  handsome  woman,  mindful  of  her  toilette  appliances, 
as  well  as  the  courageous  explorer,  athirst  for  knowledge. 

Passing  in  safety  the  first  cataract,  Miss  Tinne's 
flotilla  reached  Korosko,  where  she  and  her  com- 
panions took  temporary  leave  of  the  Nile,  of  tourists, 
and  civilization,  and  struck  across  the  sandy  wastes 
of  Korosko  to  Abu- Hammed,  in  order  to  avoid  the 
wide  curve  which  the  river  makes  to  the  eastward. 
The  caravan,  besides  Miss  Tinne's  domestics,  included 
six  guides  and  twenty-five  armed  men  ;  while  a  hundred 
and  ten  camels  and  dromedaries  were  loaded  with  stores 
and  provisions.  The  desert  did  not  prove  so  dreary  as  it 
had  been  painted ;  sand  and  rock  were  frequently  relieved 
by  stretches  of  gracious  verdure.  The  monotony  of  the 
plains  was  often  broken  by  ranges  of  undulating  hills. 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN±       lip 

£very  evening  the  camels  found  an  ample  supply  of 
'pasturage,  and  could  quench  their  thirst  freely  in  the 
basins  of  water  that  sparkled  in  the  hollows  of  the  rocks. 

The  passage  of  the  Korosko  Desert  usually  occupies 
•eight  or  nine  days  ;  but  as  Alexina  advanced  very 
leisurely,  by  daily  stages  not  exceeding  seven  or  eight 
hours  each,  she  consumed  nearly  three  weeks  in  the 
Journey.  Notwithstanding  this  easy  mode  of  travel,  her 
mother  was  so  fatigued  that,  on  arriving  at  Abu-Hammed, 
on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  she  solicited  that  they  should 
again  take  to  the  river.  A  dahabuyah  was  accordingly 
hired,  along  with  six  stalwart  boatmen,  all  of  whom 
swore  on  the  KCiran  that  they  would  keep  pace  with 
the  swiftest  dromedary.  So  while  the  caravan  dragged 
its  laborious  way  through  the  burning,  shifting  sand, 
Alexina  and  her  kinswomen  leisurely  ascended  the  Nile. 
But  the  boatmen  soon  threw  to  the  winds  their  promises, 
relaxed  their  efforts,  and  allowed  the  caravan  to  push 
ahead  of  them,  replying  to  all  reproaches  that  their 
work  was  arduous,  and  the  sun's  heat  excessive. 

Meantime,  the  progress  of  the  caravan  was  consider- 
able, and  at  nightfall  tents  were  pitched  on  the  river- 
bank,  and  fires  lighted.  When  no  dahabuyah  appeared 
much  surprise  was  felt,  and  men  were  sent  to  look  out 
for  it,  but  in  vain.  It  was  not  until  the  following  day 
that  news  was  obtained  of  it,  and  then  it  was  found 
that  the  Egyptian  boatmen  had  at  last  laid  down  their 
oars  in  sullen  indolence,  and  that  Miss  Tinn^  and  the 
other  ladies  had  been  compelled  to  pass  the  night  m  a 


lyo  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Nubian  village.  This  misadventure  taught  them  the 
lesson  that  in  Eastern  countries  it  is  safer  to  trust  to 
brutes  than  to  men ;  the  boatmen  were  summarily  dis- 
missed, and  the  ladies  once  more  joined  the  caravan. 

But  the  heat  proving  insupportable,  they  were  driven 
once  more  to  essay  the  river  transit.     A  boat  was  again. 
hired;  a  second  time   they   embarked   on  the   shining 
Nile ;  and  again  an  evil  fortune  attended  them.    Instead! 
of  reaching  Berber,  as  they  should  have  done,  in  four 
days,  they  spent  a  week  in  the  voyage ;  but  it  was  some 
compensation  for  their  fatigue  when,  at  two  hours'  march« 
from  the  city,  they  were  received  by  some  thirty  chiefs, 
mounted  upon  camels,  and  attended  by  janissaries  in* 
splendid  attire,  who,  with  much  pomp  and  circumstance, 
escorted  them  to  the  gates  of  Berber.     There  they  were- 
received  by  the  governor  with  every  detail  of  Oriental) 
etiquette;  were  comfortably  lodged  in  pavilions  in  his- 
garden,  and  surrounded  by  an  atmosphere  of  courteous - 
hospitality.     No  longer  in  need  of  a  complete  caravan, 
MissTinnd  dismissed  her  camel  drivers;  and  desirous  of- 
leaving  on  their  minds  a  permanently  favourable  impres- 
sion, she  rewarded  them  with  such  unbounded  generosity 
that  they  broke  out  into  unaccustomed  exclamations  of' 
joy  and   gratitude,  and  to  this  day  sing  of  the  white- 
queen's  glory,  as  if  she  had  revived  the  splendour  of? 
Palmyra. 

This  profusion  was,  however,  not  wholly  without  cal- 
culation. Those  who  benefited  by  it  spread  her  praises 
in  every  direction,  so  that  her  coming  was  eagerly  looked 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXIN  A    TINNJ^.       191 

for,  and  hospitality  pressed  upon  her  with  an  eagerness 
nnich  may  have  been  inspired  by  selfish  motives,  but 
was  not  the  less  agreeable  to  her  companions  or  hersel£ 
The  young  girls  danced  merrily  at  her  approach ;  they 
took  her  for  a  princess,  or,  at  all  events,  as  such  they 
saluted  her. 

After  resting  for  some  weeks  at  Berber,  Miss  Tinn6 
again  hired  their  boats,  and  ascended  the  Nile  to  Khart^im, 
tne  chief  town  of  the  Egyptian  Soudan.  Situated  at  the 
confluence  of  the  two  Niles,  the  White  and  the  Blue,  it 
is  already  the  centre  of  a  considerable  commerce,  and 
tne  rendezvous  of  almost  all  the  caravans  of  Nubia  and 
tne  Upper  Nile.  Unfortunately  it  is  one  of  the  world '& 
cloacincR^  a.  kind  of  moral  cesspool,  into  which  flows  the 
uncleanness,  the  filth  of  many  nations ;  the  rendezvous 
ot  Italians,  Germans,  Frenchmen,  and  Englishmen,, 
whom  their  own  countries  have  repudiated;  political 
gamolers,  who  had  played  their  last  card  and  lost  their 
last  stake;  fraudulent  bankrupts,  unscrupulous  specu 
lators — men  who  have  nothing  to  hope,  nothing  to  lose, 
and  are  too  callous,  or  too  desperate,  or  too  miserable 
to  fear.  The  great  scourge  of  the  place — even  now, 
after  all  the  efforts,  not  wholly  unsuccessful,  of  Colonel 
Gordon,  is  the  detestable  slave-trade ;  and  by  its  abettors 
the  projected  journey  of  Miss  Tinne  was  regarded  with 
much  hostility.  It  was  obvious  that,  traversing  as  she 
wouM  do  the  districts  blighted  by  this  terrible  plague,  she 
would  see  all  its  sad  results,  and  her  fearless  exposure  of 
th.^  would  not  long  be  delayed     Secretly,  therefore. 


192  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Xhtv  threw  every  possible  obstacle  in  the  way  of"  her 
advance ;  but  her  wealth,  high  position,  and  unfailing 
energy,  prevailed  over  all;  and  after  a  delay  of  some 
weeks  she  succeeded  in  completing  her  preparations. 
A  sufificient  stock  of  provisions  was  got  together,  and  a 
suDDly  of  trinkets  for  the  purpose  of  gifts  or  barter ;  an 
escort  of  thirty-eight  men,  including  ten  soldiers,  fully 
armed,  and  all  bearing  a  good  character  for  trustworthi- 
ness, was  engaged ;  and,  finally,  she  hired,  for  the  large 
sum  of  ten  thousand  francs,  a  small  steamboat^  belonging 
to  Prince  Halim,  the  late  Khedive's  brother. 

Her  high  moral  sense  revolted  at  the  low  social  tone 
of  Khartiim,  and  she  left  it  with  gladness  to  begin  the 
ascent  of  the  White  Nile,  and  carry  out  the  objects  she 
had  proposed  to  herself  It  was  pleasant  to  gaze  on  the 
lair  landscapes  which  lined  the  banks  of  the  great  river. 
Its  serene  loveliness  charmed  her,  and  she  compared  it, 
not  inappropriately,  to  Virginia  Water,  the  picturesque 
mmiature  lake  which  shines  amid  the  foliaged  depths  of 
Windsor  Forest.  Pleasant  to  look  upon  were  the  dense 
groups  of  shapely  trees :  palms,  mimosas,  acacias,  the  gum- 
tree — which  frequently  rivals  the  oak  in  size — and  the 
^aceful  tamarisk.  Myriads  of  shrubs  furnish  the  blue 
ape  with  a  shelter;  the  air  sparkles  with  the  many- 
coloured  wings  of  swarms  of  birds.  On  the  broad  bright 
bosom  of  the  stream  spread  the  large  leaves  and  white 
flowers  of  colossal  lilies,  among  which  the  crocodile  and 
hippopotamus  pursue  their  unwieldy  pastime. 

How   marvellous   the    effects   of   colour,  when    this 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINA±       193 

romantic  scene  is  flooded  in  the  glowing  sunshine  i 
Through  the  transparent  air  every  object  is  seen  with  a 
sharp,  clear  outline,  and  the  sense  of  distance  is  over- 
come. When  a  shadow  falls  it  is  detined  as  boldly  as 
on  canvas;  no  generous  mist  softens  or  conceals  it; 
everything  is  shown  as  frankly  as  in  a  mirror.  In  the 
noontide  heats  all  nature  is  as  silent  here  as  in  the 
virgin  forests  of  the  New  World ;  but  when  the  cool 
breath  of  evening  begins  to  be  felt,  and  that  luminous 
darkness  which  is  the  glory  of  a  summer  night  in 
Central  Africa  folds  softly  over  the  picture,  the  multi- 
form life  of  earth  swiftly  re-awakens ;  birds  and  butter- 
flies hover  in  the  air,  the  monkeys  chatter  merrily,  and 
leap  from  bough  to  bough.  The  sounds  which  then 
arise — song  and  hum  and  murmur,  the  roll  of  the  river, 
the  drone  of  insects,  the  cries  of  the  wild  beasts — all 
seem  to  blend  in  one  grand  vesper  harmony — one  choral 
hymn  of  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord  of  life.  These  are 
generally  hushed  as  the  night  advances ;  and  then  swarms 
of  fire-flies  and  glow-worms  light  their  tiny  torches 
and  illuminate  the  dark  with  a  magical  display;  while 
the  drowsy  air  hangs  heavy  with  the  sweet  and  subtle 
odours  exhaled  from  the  corollas  of  the  plants  which 
open  only  in  night's  cool  and  tranquil  hours 

Such  a  landscape  as  this,  with  its  gorgeous  colour  and 
its  novel  life,  harmonized  admirably  with  Miss  Tinn^'s 
poetical  and  dreamy  temperament.  She  had  realized  her 
visions ;  the  romance  of  the  East  was  around  her,  and 
she  the   most   conspicuous  figure  in  it     Through   the 


194  ll^OMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

•diflerent  Nile  villages  the  expedition  touched  at,  she  loved 
to  ride,  followed  by  an  armed  escort,  dazzling  the  natives 
by  her  fair  young  beauty  and  splendour  of  appearance, 
amazing  them  by  her  lavish  liberality,  and  receiving  from 
them  the  homage  due  to  a  supposed  daughter  of  the 
Sultan.  To  this  high  rank  they  naturally  elevated  so 
magnificent  and  commanding  a  personage.  Their  hearts, 
■moreover,  were  won  by  her  evident  sympathy  with  their 
•down-trodden  and  suffering  race.  On  one  occasion  she 
•encountered  an  Egyptian  pasha,  returning  with  a  booty 
•of  slaves  from  a  recent  razzia.  She  besought  him  to 
release  the  unhappy  creatures,  and  when  he  refused, 
purchased  eight  of  them,  immediately  setting  them  at 
liberty,  and  supplying  them  also  with  provisions.  This 
has  been  ridiculed  as  a  quixotic  act ;  but  to  our  thinking 
it  was  an  act  of  generous  womanly  enthusiasm,  which 
may  be  accepted  as  redeeming  many  of  the  faults  and 
failings  of  Miss  Tinn^'s  character,  and  compensating  for 
the  frivolities  which  overclouded  the  real  motive  of  her 
-enterprise.  To  every  benevolent  impulse  her  heart 
responded,  like  an  ^olian  harp  to  the  touch  of  the 
lightest  breeze ;  and  in  the  midst  of  her  enjoyment  of 
the  picturesque  features  of  her  enterprise,  she  ceased  not 
to  suffer  severely  at  the  sight  of  the  wretched  condition 
of  the  poor  negroes  who  fell  victims  to  the  necessities 
of  a  nefarious  traffic. 

This  traffic  had  excited  such  passions  of  revenge  and 
hatred  in  the  breasts  of  the  riverine  tribes  of  the  Nile, 
that  the  passage  of  the  river  had  become  very  dangerous, 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINNA.       195 

and  the  land  journey  almost  impossible.  The  native? 
looked  upon  every  white  man  as  a  Turk  and  a  slave- 
-dealer;  and  when  a  boat  appeared  on  the  horizon, 
terror-stricken  mothers  cried  to  their  children,  "The 
Tourk^,  the  Tourkd  are  coming ! "  The  scarlet  fez,  or 
tarbouch,  was  regarded  with  peculiar  aversion.  "It  is 
the  colour  of  blood  just  spilled,"  said  a  negro  to  his 
family.  "It  never  fades,"  they  said;  "the  Turk  renews 
it  constantly  in  the  blood  of  the  poor  black  man." 

They  learned  to  distinguish,  however,  between  the 
slave- dealer's  boats  and  Alexina  Tinn^'s  steamer.  Twice 
•or  thrice  they  boarded  the  latter;  at  first  very  timidly, 
but  afterwards  with  courage.  "Is  the  young  lady  in 
•command,"  they  said,  "  the  Sultan's  sister  ?  Comes  she 
to  assist  or  to  persecute  us?"  When  acquainted  with 
the  pacific  object  of  her  expedition,  they  rapidly  grew 
familiar,  and  ventured  to  go  upon  deck.  "Since  you 
•mean  no  evil  against  «j,"  they  cried,  "we  will  ^o you  no 
harm  ;  we  will  love  you  !  "  They  took  from  her  hands 
•a  cup  of  tea,  and  courteously  drank  it  without  showing 
any  repugnance ;  while  they  answered  all  her  questions 
respecting  their  manners  and  customs,  and  supplied  her 
with  information  relative  to  the  surrounding  country.  So 
^eatly  to  her  liking  was  her  reception  that  she  would 
have  remained  for  a  lengthened  period  among  this 
friendly  people,  had  she  not  felt  bound  to  prosecute  her 
journey  to  the  southward. 

Resuming  her  voyage,  she  proceeded  steadilv  in  the 


196  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

direction  of  the  land  of  the  Derikas.  Two  or  three 
villages  were  seen  on  the  river-banks,  but  the  landscape 
was  bare  and  sterile,  and  Miss  Tinne  felt  no  inclination 
to  disembark  until  she  reached  Mount  Hunaya.  When 
her  followers  understood  that  she  had  resolved  to  en- 
camp there  during  the  rainy  season,  they  protested. 
vehemently,  and  talked  of  the  dangers  to  be  incurred 
from  elephants  and  lions.  Alexina,  however,  was  not  to- 
be  moved  from  her  determination ;  but  as  the  steamer 
was  in  need  of  repair,  she  sent  it  back  to  Khartum  in 
charge  of  her  aunt. 

As  soon  as  the  necessary  repairs  were  completed^ 
Madame  Tinn^  quitted  Khartiim.  On  her  arrival  at 
Jebel  Hunaya,  she  was  received  with  shouts  of  joy,  and, 
to  the  surprise  of  the  natives,  with  a  salute  from  some 
small  cannons.  Nothing  had  occurred  of  special  interest 
during  her  absence,  except  that  on  one  occasion,  when 
Alexina  was  reading  at  a  short  distance  from  the  camp, 
she  had  a  narrow  escape  from  a  young  panther.  On, 
discovering  the  animal,  she  had  the  presence  of  mind,^ 
however,  to  stand  perfectly  still,  while  she  summoned 
her  soldiers  and  servants  to  her  assistance.  On  their 
arrival,  a  cordon  was  drawn  round  the  panther,  and  it 
was  easily  captured. 

On  the  7  th  of  July,  the  steamer,  heavily  laden  and 
towing  two  boats,  continued  its  course  up  the  river. 
Between  the  Jebel  Hunaya  and  the  point  where  the 
Bahr-el-Ghazal  flows  into  the  White  Nile,  the  scenery 
is  of  a  very  unattractive  character,  and  the  river-banks 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN^.       ig7 

are  parched  and  unfruitful.  Here  and  there  the  wind 
soughs  through  masses  of  tall  reeds  and  aquatic  plants; 
at  other  points  the  waters  overflow  their  bounds  for 
some  two  or  three  thousand  yards,  creating  on  each  side 
an  impassable  swamp. 

The  journey  was  continued  eastward  until  they  reached 
the  settlement  of  an  Arab  chief,  named  Mohammed 
Chu,  who,  by  mingled  craft  and  force,  had  subjugated 
the  neighbouring  tribes,  and  asserted  his  rule  over  this 
part  of  the  Soudan.  When,  as  not  infrequently  hap- 
pened, he  was  in  want  of  money,  he  exercised  the  right 
of  the  strong  hand,  and,  at  the  head  of  his  freebooters, 
sallied  forth ;  destroying  villages,  massacring  their  male 
inhabitants,  seizing  upon  the  women  and  children  to  sell 
as  slaves,  and  carrying  off  the  cattle.  He  was  partial  to 
pomp  and  circumstance,  and  paraded  to  and  fro  on  a 
magnificent  horse,  the  saddle  of  which  was  embroidered 
with  gold  and  silver,  and  sparkled  with  precious  stones. 
But  on  the  arrival  of  Alexina  Tinn^,  his  courage  seemed 
to  desert  him  ;  and  he  was  terrified  by  the  Turkish 
soldiers  who  mounted  guard  on  the  steamer's  deck.  It 
was  probably  owing  to  this  spasm  of  alarm  that  he 
received  the  ladies  with  royal  honours,  sending  them 
sheep,  oxen,  fruit,  vegetables^  dancers,  archaeological 
curiosities — in  short,  he  seemed  anxious  to  make  offer- 
ing of  all  he  possessed.  Afterwards,  however,  his  liber- 
ality was  found  to  proceed  from  another  motive ;  he 
supposed  that  he  was  doing  honour  to  the  favourite 
daughter  of  the  Giand  Turk,  and  in  his  zeal  meditated 


198  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

proclaiming  her  the  Queen  of  the  Soudan.  When  his 
visitors  bade  him  farewell,  he  strenuously  advised  them 
not  to  proceed  any  further  south.  '*  Take  care,"  he  said, 
"  you  do  not  come  into  collision  with  the  Shillooks,  who 
are  my  sworn  enemies,  and  the  enemies  of  all  who  cross 
their  frontiers.  Beware  lest  they  set  fire  to  your  boats, 
as  they  have  already  done  to  all  vessels  coming  from 
Khartxim." 

Alexina  Tinn^  disregarded  these  warnings,  continued 
her  voyage,  and,  a  few  days  later,  anchored  off  a  Shil- 
look  village.  The  sailors,  frightened  by  Mohammed's 
speech,  refused  to  approach  it ;  but  she  landed  with  her 
usual  decision,  attended  only  by  an  interpreter,  an  officer, 
and  an  escort  of  ten  soldieis.  Her  fame  as  the  daughter 
of  the  Sultan  had  already  preceded  herj  and  she  was 
welcomed  with  every  demonstration  of  respect.  The 
Shillooks,  as  is  the  case  with  other  and  more  civilized 
peoples,  endeavour  to  beguile  every  stranger  into  a  share 
in  their  hostilities ;  and  they  made  great  efforts  to  in- 
duce Miss  Tinn^  to  assist  them  against  that  terrible 
Mohammed  Chu,  who  had  but  just  shown  such  a  loyal 
anxiety  to  proclaim  her  Queen  of  the  Soudan.  When 
she  refused  to  join  in  the  campaign,  their  disappointment: 
was  bitter.  Dr.  Barth  and  other  travellers  speak  in  warm: 
terms  of  this  unfortunate  tribe,  who  have  suffered  scarcely 
less  from  Europeans  than  from  Arabs.  They  live  under 
conditions  the  most  unfavourable  to  their  development ; 
on  every  side  they  are  hemmed  in  by  foes.  Constantly 
lallmg  victims  to  tne  cruelty  of  the  slave-hunters,  it  is 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINNt.       199 

no  wonder  that  they  regard  with  suspicion,  and  too 
often  treat  with  ferocity,  the  strangers  who  traverse  their 
land ;  not  unnaturally  they  implicate  them  in  the  traffic 
which  crushes  them  to  the  ground, 

Alexina  Tinne  reached  at  length  the  junction  of  the 
Sobat  with  the  Nile.  She  determined  on  ascending  the 
tributary  stream  to  its  highest  navigable  point,  calculating 
that  the  voyage  would  not  occupy  more  than  seven  or 
eight  days.  The  Sobat  valley  is  much  more  attractive  to 
the  eye  than  the  course  of  the  White  Nile.  Its  ample 
pastures,  teeming  with  flocks  of  ostriches  and  herds  of 
giraffes,  stretch  away  to  the  remote  horizon.  Elephants 
wander  freely  in  the  fertile  uplands,  coming  down 
to  the  river  at  evening-time  to  drink.  For  weeks 
the  v-oyagers  lingered  among  the  fair  scenery  of  this 
•happy  valley ;  and  then  they  resumed  their  ascent  of  the 
Nile  as  far  as  Lake  Nu,  where  it  receives  the  majestic 
volume  of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal  before  striking  sharply 
towards  the  south. 

The  swamps  of  the  White  Nile  exhale  a  malarious 
atmosphere,  unfavourable  to  human  life,  but  not  adverse 
to  the  growth  of  a  picturesque  vegetation.  Tamarisks, 
mimosas,  climbing  plants,  papyrus,  and  euphorbia — the 
latter  yielding  a  poisonous  milky  juice  in  which  the 
natives  dip  their  deadly  arrow-points — thrive  in  un- 
checked luxuriance,  and  present  a  rich  variety  of 
colour. 

iieyond   Lake  Nd  the   White  Nile    breaks  into   an 


200  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

intricate  series  of  curves  and  meanders,  through  which 
its  current  rushes  with  great  rapidity,  and  with  such 
strength  that  the  steamer  was  compelled  to  throw  off 
the  towing-rope  of  the  two  Nile  boats,  and  leave  them 
to  themselves.  The  sailors  and  servants  accordingly 
landed,  and  set  to  work  with  sturdy  arms  to  haul  them, 
against  the  stream.  But  in  the  worst  fury  of  the  current 
the  rope  broke,  and  the  boats  drifting  downward,  seemed 
doomed  to  destruction.  Osman  Aga,  a  resolute  and 
courageous  soldier,  who  was  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer 
at  the  time,  seized  another  rope  and  sprang  instantly  into 
the  river.  With  vigorous  strokes  he  made  for  the  shore. 
He  had  almost  gained  it,  and  had  flung  the  rope  to  the 
crew  of  the  nearest  boat,  when  the  strength  of  the  current 
overpowered  him,  and  he  sank  !  After  awhile  his  sur- 
viving comrades  recovered  the  brave  fellow's  body,  and 
gave  it  honourable  burial  in  the  native  fashion  at  the 
foot  of  a  patriarchal  tree,  on  the  trunk  of  which  was  cut 
a  memorial  inscription. 

Some  days  after  this  sad  event,  Miss  Tinn^  ascended 
the  river  to  Heiligenkreuz,  an  Austrian  missionary 
station.  There  she  remained  until  mid-September, 
making  a  short  excursion  into  the  interior;  crossing 
rivers,  penetrating  into  swampy  forests,  and  visiting 
villages  inhabited  by  a  quite  naked  population,  feeding 
upon  bats,  snakes,  termites,  and  raw  roots. 

As  the  voyagers  drew  near  Gondokoro  they  observed 
that  the  scenery  assumed  a  grander  character.  The  river- 
banks   lay   aeep   in  the   shadow  of    luxuriant    tropical 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINNR.       201 

forests,  in  the  recesses  of  which  the  ruins  of  ancient 
buildings  were  sometimes  visible.  Gondokoro,  long 
regarded  as  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the  Nile  Valley,  was 
reached  on  the  30th  of  September.  It  proved  to  be  the 
farthest  limit  of  the  African  explorations  of  our  heroine. 
She  ardently  desired  to  advance;  to  share  someof  the  glory 
which  crowns  the  names  of  Speke  and  Grant,  Baker  and 
Petherick ;  to  behold  with  her  own  eyes  the  vast  expanse 
of  the  blue  Victorian  Sea ;  tc  trace  to  its  fountain-head 
the  course  of  the  Nile ;  but  the  authorities  threw  obstacles 
in  her  way  which  proved  to  be  insurmountable.  Apart 
from  these,  the  progress  of  the  expedition  was  arrested 
by  the  malarious  fever  which  attacked  herself  and  most 
of  her  followers.  In  her  own  case  the  attack  was  so 
severe  as  at  one  time  to  threaten  her  life. 

After  her  recovery  she  devoted  herself  to  the  study  of 
the  habits  and  manners  of  the  tribes  dwelling  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Gondokoro.  They  are  all  Baris ;  very 
ignorant  and  superstitious,  but  not  naturally  cruel.  The 
most  prosperous  trade  among  them  is  that  of  the  sorcerer, 
who  acts  also  as  the  medicine-man.  When  a  Bari  falls 
ill,  he  hastens  to  consult  the  Punok,  receives  from  him 
some  infallible  and  grotesque  recipe,  and — behold  he  is 
cured  !  His  faith  in  the  prescribed  remedy  is  the  source 
of  its  efficacy.  One  of  these  magicians  had  the  address 
to  persuade  the  negroes  of  his  immortality,  and  extracted 
from  them  ample  presents  of  oxen,  sheep,  and  the  like. 
Unfortunately,  he  declaimed  vehemently  against  the 
proceedings   of    the    Egyptians,   who  having  no   sense 


202  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

of  humour,  put  him  to  death.  His  dupes  coUectedl 
round  his  dead  body,  and  waited  patiently  for  his  resur- 
rection; they  began  to  doubt  only  when  the  corpse 
began  to  putrefy. 

Among  the  Bari  sorcerers  an  influential  position  is. 
held  by  the  "  rain-maker,"  and  the  villagers  lavish  upon* 
him,  in  days  of  drought,  gifts  of  oxen,  fruits  and  trinkets, 
as  an  inducement  to  evoke  from  the  clouds  their  treasures- 
of  genial  rain.  Greatness,  however,  has  always  to  pay 
a  penalty ;  and  if  after  the  rain-maker  has  performed  his- 
rites,  the  drought  continues,  it  is  not  unusual  for  the 
disappointed  people  to  surround  the  Kodjan's  house,  drag, 
him  forth,  and  summarily  cut  open  his  stomach,  on  the 
plea  that  as  the  storms  make  no  outward  sign  they  must 
be  shut  up  therein.  Few  are  the  years  in  which  one  of 
these  "  rain-makers  "  does  not  perish,  unless  he  is  crafty- 
enough  to  effect  his  escape  before  his  deception  is 
discovered. 

From  Gondokoro  Alexina  Tinn^  returned  to  Khartdm,. 
where  the  European  community  received  her  with 
applause.  Her  restless  and  adventurous  spirit,  however, 
could  not  long  endure  the  burden  of  inaction.  Baffled  in 
one  design,  she  immediately  struck  out  another;  and 
with  characteristic  energy  and  daring  she  resolved  on 
ascending  the  great  western  tributary  of  the  Nile, 
the  Bahr-el-Ghazal,  exploring  the  waters  which  feed  it, 
and  penetrating  into  the  country  of  the  Nyam-Nyam. 
She  shared  her  counsels  with  two  distinguished  Abyssi- 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN^.       203 

nian  travellers,  Dr.  Steudner,  a  German  botanist,  and  Dr. 
Heughlin,  a  German  naturalist,  and  the  plans  of  the  three 
adventurers  were  soon  matured.  They  were  joined  by 
the  Baron  d*Arkel  d'Ablaing ;  and  having  collected  large 
supplies  of  provisions — the  list  reads  like  the  catalogue 
of  a  co-operative  store — and  of  articles  suitable  for  barter, 
with  a  riding-horse  for  each  traveller,  and  such  a  ward- 
robe for  Miss  Tinn^  and  her  mother  as  to  justify  the 
supposition  that  they  intended  to  establish  a  Magasin  des 
A/odes  among  the  Nyam-Nyam,  they  quitted  Khartiim  in 
Pebruary,  1863.  The  personnel  oi  the  expedition  num- 
bered 200  souls,  including  the  Dutch  women-servants, 
an  Italian  ship's  steward,  a  Turkish  officer,  and  ten 
privates,  besides  twenty  Berber  soldiers  and  several  Arab 
interpreters  and  scribes.  These  were  embarked  on  board 
a  steamer,  two  dahabecyahs,  and  two  ordinary  Nile  boats, 
which  also  carried  four  camels,  thirty  donkeys  and  mules, 
and  the   riding-horses  aforesaid. 

Doctor  Heughlin,  who  had  started  in  advance  as  a 
kind  of  pioneer,  passed,  on  the  31st  of  January,  the  Jebel 
Tefafan,  a  lofty  mountain  which  rises  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  river.  His  descriptions  of  the  scenery  through 
which  his  boat  conveyed  him  are  very  graphic.  The  river 
broadened  as  he  advanced,  its  entire  breadth,  however, 
not  being  discernible  from  the  boat.  Vegetation  became 
more  luxuriant,  and  was  on  a  larger  scale ;  the  bushes 
resounded  with  the  songs  of  birds,  echoing  clearly  across 
lut  transparent  water.  Splendid  was  the  white  plumage 
of  the  osprey,  shining  in  the   midst   of  the  dark-green 


204  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

toliage  ;  nor  less  so  that  of  the  little  white  heron,  stand- 
ing with  melancholy  aspect  on  the  prostrate  tree-trunks. 
On  an  overhanging  branch,  defined  against  the  sky,  was 
perched  the  timid,  snake-necked  cormorant,  with  fiery- 
red  eyes  fixed  on  his  slippery  prey;  then,  plump  as  a 
stone,  darted  into  the  water,  above  which,  after  a  long 
interval,  showed  his  head  and  neck.  One  of  his  com- 
rades seemed  to  feel  a  httle  too  drenched  after  his  late 
immersion,  for  he  sat  in  the  sun,  spreading  out  his  beau- 
tiful plumage  of  dark  metallic-green  to  dry.  The  piping 
call  of  the  cheerful  jacamar  was  changed  at  intervals  for 
the  deep,  full  note  of  the  red-billed  shrike,  as  he  sat 
hidden  in  the  thicket ;  bright  yellow  weaver-birds  twit- 
tered in  crowds  on  the  boughs,  whilst  from  the  depth  of 
the  shade  came  the  cooing  murmur  of  the  turtle-dove. 
Stark  and  rigid,  like  the  stem  of  an  old  tree,  the  crocodile 
took  his  rest,  sometimes  with  wide-open  jaws :  here  and 
there  the  hippopotamus  lifted  his  giant  head  from  the 
troubled  waters,  now  scattering  them  in  showers  of  spray, 
now  raising  his  fearful  voice,  which  every  echo  of  the 
distant  shores  repeated. 

At  length  Dr.  Heughlin  reached  Lake  Nu,  on  the 
Bahr-el-Ghazal.  At  that  time  of  the  year  the  river  in 
many  places  is  as  narrow  as  a  canal,  and  bordered  on 
both  sides  by  a  swampy  plain  which  stretches  away  to 
the  dim  horizon,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  gigantic 
reeds.  At  other  places  it  broadens  into  considerable 
lakes. 

The  natives  navigate  it  in  light  canoes,  which  they 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN^,       205 

^manage  with  great  dexterity.  They  sit  astride  the 
•stern,  with  their  legs  hanging  down  in  the  water,  and 
il'  they  cannot  find  any  branches  capab'.e  of  being  used 
•as  oars,  they  paddle  with  their  hands.  The  Nouers, 
who  inhabit  this  region  of  marsh  and  morass,  seem  to 
offer  an  illustration  of  the  Darwinian  theory  of  the 
''survival  of  the  fittest"  By  a  process  of  natural 
-selection,  they  have  become  thoroughly  adapted  to  the 
conditions  of  the  soil  and  climate,  the  weaker  of  the 
race  having  been  killed  off.  Their  physical  strength  is 
remarkable;  they  may,  in  fact,  be  described  as  a  race 
•of  Anaks,  averaging  from  six  to  seven  feet  in  height. 
While  Dr.  Heughlin,  in  the  true  scientific  spirit, 
industriously  explored  the  banks  of  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal, 
Alexina  Tinnd  was  preparing  to  join  him,  and  was 
bringing  all  her  energy  to  bear  upon  the  difficulties 
that  impeded  her.  When  only  a  few  miles  from 
Khartum,  her  captain  came  to  tell  her,  with  signs  of 
the  greatest  alarm,  that  the  steamer  was  leaking  and 
-must  shortly  sink.  It  is  easy  to  imagine  her  anxiety; 
but  recovering  her  presence  of  mind,  she  gave  orders 
that  the  cargo  should  be  immediately  unloaded,  and 
the  leak  being  repaired,  she  resumed  her  voyage.  A 
few  hours  later,  and  the  vessel  was  again  in  danger, 
the  water  pouring  in  with  greater  violence  than  before. 
A  careful  investigation  was  now  made,  and  then  it  was 
•discovered  that  the  pilot  and  captain  had  each  agreed 
to  bore  a  hole  in  the  ship's  hull,  in  the  hope  of  abruptly 
terminating  a  voyage  which   they,  not  less  than   their 


2a6  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER 

crew,  regarded  with  dread.  Miss  Tinnd,  however,  was^ 
not  to  be  thwarted  in  a  fixed  resolve;  she  at  once- 
dismissed  the  more  unworthy  portion  of  tiie  crew,  as- 
well  as  the  captain  and  the  pilot,  and  then,  with  men. 
who  swore  to  be  faithful  to  her,  she  once  more  pro- 
ceeded towards  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal. 

Her  progress  at   first  was   slow,  on  account   of  the- 
growth   of  tall   thick   grasses   and  aquatic   plants   that 
choked  up  the  stream.      In  many  places  a  water-way 
for  the  steamer  had   to   be  cut  with  axe   and   knife. 
Grisly  crocodiles  lay  in  the  sun-baked  mud;  from  the 
depths  of  the  intertangled  reeds  rose  the  snort  of  the- 
hippopotamus;    while,  with    steady   gaze,   the   elephant 
watched  the  movements  of  the  strange  apparition.     The- 
swamps  of  the  Gazelle   River   are   the  happy  pasture- 
grounds  of  hundreds  of  wild  beasts.     But  though  game 
is  so  plentiful,  the  sportsman  finds  it  no  easy  matter  to* 
get  at  it.     He  cannot  make  his  way  through  the  dry 
and  withered  vegetation  without  a  crackling  of  leaves- 
and  a  snapping  of  stems,  which  give  instant  alarm  to- 
vigilant  and  suspicious  ears.      No  sooner   does  he  set 
foot  in  the  jungle,  than,  as  if  warned  by  some  secret 
telegraphic  agency,  all  its  inmates  take  to  flight.     On. 
one   occasion,   while    Miss    Tinne's    men   were    vainly 
seeking  to  track  the  great  river-horse,  a  huge  elephant, 
which  had  probably  pushed   forward  too   far   into   the 
river  in   the  keenness  of  its   thirst,  was  caught  up  in 
the  current  and  driven  against  one  of  the  boats.     This 
was   too  good  an   opportunity   to    be   neglected:    the 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN^.       207 

Doatmen  immediately  attacked  the  ill-fated  animal 
killed  it,  and  cut  it  in  pieces. 

On  the  loth  of  March  the  ladies  steamed  into  the 
port  of  Meschra-el-Rey,  in  the  Bahr-el-Ghazal,  and 
joined  Dr.  Heughlin.  They  were  received  with  great 
enthusiasm — flags  flying  and  guns  firing.  Here  a  delay 
of  some  days  occurred,  while  they  awaited  further 
supplies  of  provisions,  and  a  number  of  porters  to  carry 
iheir  baggage,  from  Khartum.  At  length  the  gentlemen 
grew  impatient,  and  it  was  arranged  that  they  should  go- 
in  search  of  the  promised  bearers,  leaving  Miss  Tinne 
and  her  companions  at  Meschra.  Accordingly,  Drs. 
Heughlin  and  Steudner  set  out;  but  the  malarious 
climate  was  working  its  evil  will  upon  them,  and  in, 
a  state  of  great  prostration  from  fever  and  dysentery, 
they  traversed  a  desert  country,  and  crossing  the  river 
Djur  on  the  2nd  of  April,  arrived  the  same  evening  at 
Wan.  Here  Dr.  Steudner  succumbed  to  his  disease, 
and  passed  away,  almost  without  pain,  on  the  loth. 
His  friend  contrived  to  give  him  decent  burial.  The 
body  was  wrapped  in  Abyssinian  cloth,  covered  with 
leaves,  and  interred  in  the  shade  of  melancholy  boughs, 
amidst  "that  magnificent  nature  whose  true  servant 
and  worshipper  he  was." 

At  Bongo,  in  the  land  of  Dur,  Dr.  Heughlin  suc- 
ceeded in  hiring  an  adequate  number  of  porters,  though 
rtC  a  heavy  price,  and  returned  to  Meschra  after  au 
absence  of  six  weeks.  The  ladies  were  suffering  from, 
lever;  but  a  supply  of  provisions  having  arrived  fronv 


to*  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Knartum,  they  set  out,  undismayed,  for  Bongo.  Thev 
travelled  by  short  stages,  and  when  towards  nightfall 
they  reached  a  village  which  seemed  to  offer  convenient 
-quarters,  Miss  Tinn^  would  send  for  the  sheikh,  and 
the  gift  of  a  few  beads  was  always  sufficient  to  secure 
them  convenient  quarters. 

The  African  villages  are  frequently  of  considerable 
"Size.  They  are  usually  surrounded  by  a  belt  of  cul- 
tivated ground,  where  dourra,  sesamum,  and  culinary 
vegetables  thrive  abundantly.  The  flocks  that  swarm 
over  the  pastures  often  include  some  thousands  of 
sheep,  though  they  are  never  killed  by  the  natives  for 
purposes  of  food.  At  first  Miss  Tinn^  easily  purchased 
several,  but  as  soon  as  the  natives  discovered  that  she 
slaughtered  them  for  provision,  they  refused  to  sell. 
Apparently  they  make  them  the  object  of  a  rude  cultus^ 
AS  the  Lapps  do  the  hare.  Their  scruples  vanished, 
however,  at  the  sight  of  the  White  Princess's  trinkets. 
What  is  very  curious  is,  that  each  tribe  has  its  favourite 
•colour — that  while  one  swears  by  blue  beads,  another 
has  eyes  only  for  green ;  so  that  a  tribe  which  will 
violate  its  conscience  for  a  handful  of  blue  or  yellow 
beads,  will  preserve  it  untouched  if  tested  by  beads  of 
any  other  colour.  The  most  potent  bribe — potent 
•enough  to  prevail  over  even  the  stoutest  conscience — 
is  a  piece  of  blue  or  red  cotton ;  but  this,  on  accourtt 
of  its  moral  value.  Miss  Tinne  was  careful  to  keep 
•exclusively  for  the  chiefs. 

The  journey  to    Bongo  was   rendered   tedious    and 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TJNNA       209 

troublesome  by  the  rains.  A  large  quantity  of  provisions 
A'as  spoiled,  and  the  ladies  on  their  mules  were  drenched 
to  the  skin  without  any  possibility  of  drying  their 
clothes.  The  country  through  which  they  passed  pre- 
sented scene  upon  scene  of  an  interesting  or  attractive 
character.  The  groves  expanded  into  woods,  and  the 
woods  into  forests,  the  delighted  eye  gazing  with  ever 
fresh  gratification  on  the  dense  network  of  creepers 
and  wild  vines  that  stretched  from  tree  to  tree,  while 
the  green  gloom  was  everywhere  lighted  up  with  starry 
blossoms.  As  the  travellers  penetrated  farther  into  the 
country,  they  came  upon  an  entirely  different  picture ', 
vast  plains  widened  away  to  that  vague  horizon  where 
earth  and  heaven  seemed  to  blend  in  mist.  Occasionally 
the  monotonous  level  was  pleasantly  relieved  by  clusters 
of  gracious  trees,  forming  so  many  isles  of  greenery, 
where  the  bland  calm  air  was  fragrant  with  the  sweet 
subtle  odours  breathed  from  magnificent  cactuses, 
orchids,  and  irises.  Thousands  of  birds,  surprised 
among  the  tall  grasses  by  the  passing  caravan,  sprang 
aloft,  and  filled  the  air  with  the  whir  and  winnow  of 
swift  wings. 

As  for  some  years  a  marked  diminution  had  taken 
place  in  the  number  of  elephants  inhabiting  the  valley 
of  the  White  Nile,  the  ivory  traders  had  gradually 
pushed  forward  into  the  lands  watered  by  the  Gazelle 
and  the  Djur.  This  was  a  virgin  region,  a  mine 
hitherto  un worked,  and  accordingly,  in  order  to  profit 


•aio  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

to  the  full  by  its  resources,  a  chain  of  stations  was  esta- 
'blished,  each  in  charge  of  a  vakeely  or  manager.  Every 
'November  these  were  visited  by  the  traders,  who  carried 
off  in  their  boats  the  accumulated  ivory,  and  sometimes 
added  to  their  cargo  of  elephants'  tusks  the  unfortunate 
-negroes  who  had  served  them  as  guides  and  hunters. 
As  time  went  on,  they  extended  their  operations,  armed 
the  tribes  one  against  the  other,  encouraged  them  in 
their  destructive  feuds,  and  in  this  way  consolidated 
their  nefarious  tyranny. 

By  one  of  these  infamous  traffickers  in  flesh  and  blood 
-our  travellers  were  grossly  plundered.  At  his  urgent 
•request,  Miss  Tinnd  and  her  companions  advanced  to 
Bongo,  where  he  exercised  authority.  A  royal  welcome 
'was  accorded  them.  Their  arrival  was  announced  by 
•volleys  of  musketry,  and  Biselli  (such  was  the  name  of 
•the  vakeel)  met  them  at  the  entrance  to  the  village, 
and  conducted  them  to  a  really  spacious  and  convenient 
residence,  where  they  were  immediately  served  with 
sherbet,  coffee,  and  other  refreshing  drinks.  His  lavish 
hospitality  embraced  everybody ;  not  only  the  travellers 
but  their  attendants.  The  abrtk,  the  drink  of  the  country, 
was  freely  circulated  among  the  people,  and  distributed 
'^ven  to  the  porters. 

Biselli,  it  was  soon  discovered,  owned  almost  every- 
thing in  the  village,  and  lorded  it  over  the  entire  neigh- 
bourhood. Alexina  requested  him  to  sell  her  some  com 
.and  oxen ;  he  replied,  in  what  seemed  the  spirit  of  a 
ttrue  gentleman,  that  for  twenty-four  hours  he  was  her 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXIN  A    TINNE.       211 

most,  that  consequently  he  had  abdicated  his  position 

.as  a  trader,  and  could  think  of  nothing  but  giving  her 

.an  honourable  reception.  Far  from  diminishing,  his 
prodigality   increased;    and   his    European    guests   felt 

-almost  humiliated  at  being  the  objects  of  so  boundless 

-a  hospitality. 

But  on  the  following  day  he  dropped  his  mask.    Miss 

Tinne  wished  to  hire,  for  the  accommodation  of  her 
people,  a  small  zeribah^  or  camp,  containing  two  tents ; 

.and  Biselli  named  thirty  dollars  as  the  rent,  but  when 
Miss  Tinn^'s  servants  began  to  store  the  baggage,  he 
suddenly   raised   his   demand   to   two   hundred.      This 

-attempt  at  extortion  was  promptly  and  firmly  refused; 
iie  then  reduced  the  charge  to  forty  dollars,  which  was 
paid.     Soon  afterwards   the  caravan   was   in   need   of 

•dourra,  and  recourse  was  had  to  Biselli.  The  knave, 
presuming  on  their  necessity,  charged  forty  times  more 

"than  the  price  of  dourra  at  Khartum,  and  on  every  other 
article  he  put  in  like  manner  a  tax  of  forty  or  fifty  per 

•cent.     He  was  no  longer  the  generous  host,  but  had 

-resumed  his  natural  character  as  an  unprincipled  trader. 
The  fever  continued  its  attacks  after  their  arrival  at 
Bongo,  and,  to  the  great  sorrow  of  Alexina,  carried  off 
"her  mother.     Dr.  Heughlin  and  several  of  the  men  fell 
ill  of  it,  and  a  general  feeling  of  depression  pervaded  the 

•encampment    Dr.  Heughlin  relates  how,  after  the  death 

*of  Madame  Tinnd,  he  went  daily  from  the  zeribah  to 
Alexina's  own  residence,  situated  at  a  considerable  dis- 

iiance,  to  inquire  after  her  health,  and  console  her  in  ncr 


212  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

affliction.  To  drag  himself  to  and  fro  was  all  he  coulcJ 
do  j  and  frequently  his  strength  failed  him  on  the  way^ 
so  that  he  had  to  sit  down  and  rest.  Sometimes  he  did 
not  reach  home  till  midnight,  and  at  other  times  was 
seized  on  the  road  with  an  attack  of  fever.  A  Dutch  girl, 
Alexina's  maid-servant,  was  often  almost  mad  with  home- 
sickness, lamenting  her  unhappy  fate  to  die  so  young, 
so  lonely,  and  so  far  from  home. 

Eventually  Miss  Tinne  found  herself  compelled  ta 
abandon  her  scheme  of  penetrating  into  the  land  of  the 
Nyam-Nyam,  and  carrying  with  her  the  bodies  of 
Madame  Tinn^  and  her  maid,  who  had  also  fallen  a. 
victim  to  the  pestilence,  she  returned  to  Khartum,  after 
an  absence  of  a  year  and  a  half  In  the  interval,, 
her  aunt,  the  Baroness  van  Capellan,  had  died  (May^ 
1864).  Alexina,  to  recover  from  the  shock  of  so  many 
misfortunes,  retired  to  a  village  a  short  distance  from, 
Khartum,  and  gave  herself  up  to  solitude  and  silence. 
When  she  had  recruited  her  physical  and  mental  ener-^ 
gies,  she  returned  to  Cairo. 

There  she  took  up  her  residence  on  a  splendid  scale. 
She  furnished  her  villa  in  the  Oriental  style ;  would  hav^e 
none  but  Arabs  and  negroes  to  wait  upon  her,  and, 
finally,  she  adopted  the  Arab  dress.  For  four  years  she 
continued  to  be  a  foremost  figure  in  the  semi -European,. 
semi-Asiatic  society  of  Cairo  ;  but  her  roving  and  adven- 
turous spirit  was  not  (juenched.,  her  love  of  new  things, 
and  new  places  was  not  checked.  The  arrival  of  some 
vast  caravans  from  the  Sahara  while  she  was  on  a  yachtm^ 


MADEMOISELLE  ALEXINA    TINN^.       213 

voyage  at  Tripoli,  fired  her  imagination  anew  with  visions 
of  African  discovery.  She  resolved  upon  an  expedition 
which  in  boldness  of  enterprise  and  romantic  interest 
should  exceed  all  previous  adventures;  proposing  to 
travel  from  Tripoli  to  the  capital  of  Fezzan,  thence 
to  Kuka  in  Bornu,  and,  westward,  by  way  of  Wadai, 
Darfur,  and  Kordofan,  to  the  Nile.  To  carry  out  this 
plan  she  would  have  to  cross  the  country  of  the  Towa- 
regs,  the  treacherous  "  pirates  of  the  Desert,"  the  cruel- 
lest and  falsest,  and  at  the  same  time  the  bravest  and 
handsomest,  of  the  African  tribes;  and  she  provided 
herself,  therefore,  with  a  strong  escort,  consisting  of  three 
Europeans  and  forty-seven  Arabs,  well  armed.  On  the 
29th  of  January,  1869,  she  set  out  from  Tripoli,  and  on 
the  I  St  of  March  arrived  at  Sokna,  in  Fezzan.  There  she 
engaged  the  services  of  a  Towareg  chief,  Ik-nu-ken,  to 
whom  she  had  been  recommended,  and  agreed  with  him 
to  attend  her  as  far  as  Ghat ;  but  at  the  last  moment  he 
was  unable  to  fulfil  his  engagement,  and  Miss  Tinnd 
accepted  the  proffered  assistance  of  two  other  chiefs, 
who  professed  to  have  been  sent  by  him  for  that  purpose; 
it  is  known,  however,  that  this  statement  was  wholly 
fictitious,  and  intended  to  beguile,  as  it  did  beguile,  Miss 
Tinne  into  a  false  security. 

A  few  days  after  her  departure  from  Sokna,  these  men, 
who  had  arranged  to  murder  and  rob  their  unsuspecting 
patroness,  continued  to  excite  a  quarrel  among  the 
camel  drivers  ;  and  when  Miss  Tinnd  quitted  her  tent 
to  ascertain  the  cause,  one  of  them  shot  her  with  a  rifle 

14 


214  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

bullet,  wounding  her  to  death.  Not  one  of  her  escort— 
her  three  European  attendants  being  also  massacred — 
offered  her  any  assistance,  and  she  was  left  to  linger  for 
four-and-twenty  hours  in  mortal  agony  at  the  door  of  her 
tent  (August  ist).  It  is  pleasant  to  know,  however,  that 
justice  eventually  overtook  her  murderers,  who  were 
captured  in  the  interior,  brought  to  Tripoli,  tried,  and 
sentenced  to  imprisonment  for  life.* 

Such  was  the  unhappy  termination  of  Miss  Tinne's 
career — a  career  in  which  much  was  promised  and  some- 
thing performed,  but  in  which,  it  must  be  owned,  the 
performance  was  not  equal  to  the  promise.  But  let  us 
be  gentle  in  our  criticism,  for  may  not  this  be  said,  all 
too  truly,  of  our  own  lives  ?  Who  is  it  that  realizes  his 
own  ideal? 


*  The  story  of  Miss  Tinne's  death  is  differently  told  by  different 
authorities  ;  but  we  believe  the  above  to  be  a  correct  version.  See 
Dr.  Heughlin's  '*  Reise  in  das  Gebiet  des  Weissen  Nil,"  etc.  ;  Dr. 
Augustus  Petermann,  "  Mittheilungen  ;  "  Miss  Edwards's  "  Si« 
Life-Studies  of  Famous  Women,"  etc. 


*^y|^3^^$C'4B^^^l  ~ 


MADAME  IDA  PFEIFFER. 
L 

THE  motives  by  which  travellers  are  actuated  are 
as  various  as  their  temperaments ;  some  find  the 
■"  propelling  power "  in  the  impulse  of  curiosity,  some 
in  the  thirst  for  novelty ;  others  in  a  strong  and  genuine 
love  of  knowledge  ;  others,  again,  in  a  natural  impatience 
of  inaction,  or  a  rebellion  against  the  commonplaces  and 
conventionalities  of  society,  a  yearning  after  the  romantic 
and  adventurous.  But,  generally  speaking,  they  con- 
stitute two  great  classes  :  those  who  discover,  and  those 
who  observe — that  is,  those  who  penetrate  into  regions 
hitherto  untrodden  by  civilized  men,  and  add  new  lands 
to  the  maps  of  the  geographer;  and  those  who  simply 
follow  in  the  track  of  their  bolder  or  more  fortunate 
predecessors,  gathering  up  fuller,  and,  it  may  be,  more 
accurate  information.  To  the  latter  class,  as  this  volume 
shows,  belong  our  female  travellers,  among  whom  we 
find  no  companion  or  rival  to  such  pioneers  as  a  I.iving- 

216 


2i6  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

stone,  a  Barth,  a  Franklin,  or  a  Sturt  Unless,  indeed, 
we  regard  as  an  exception  the  wonderful  woman  to 
whose  adventures  and  experiences  the  following  chapter 
will  be  devoted.  Of  Madame  Ida  Pfeiffer  we  think  it 
may  justly  be  said  that  she  stands  in  the  front  ranks  of 
the  great  travellers,  and  that  the  scientific  results  of  her 
enterprise  were  both  valuable  and  interesting.  It  has 
been  remarked  that  if  a  spirit  like  hers,  so  daring,  so 
persevering,  so  tenacious,  had  been  given  to  a  man, 
history  would  have  counted  a  Magellan  or  a  Captain 
Cook  the  more.  But  what  strikes  us  as  most  remarkable 
about  her  was  the  absolute  simplicity  of  her  character 
and  conduct  ;  the  unpretending  way  in  which  she  ac- 
complished her  really  great  achievements ;  her  modesty 
of  manner  and  freedom  from  pretension.  She  went 
about  the  world  as  she  went  about  the  streets  of  Vienna ; 
with  the  same  reserve  and  quietness  of  demeanour, 
apparently  unconscious  that  she  was  exposing  herself  to 
death,  and  hazards  worse  than  death;  so  calmly  and 
unaffectedly  courageous  that  she  makes  us  almost  forget 
how  truly  grand  was  her  heroism,  how  sublime  was  her 
patience,  and  how  colossal  her  daring.  The  same  reticence 
and  simplicity  are  visible  in  every  page  of  the  published 
record  of  her  personal  experiences.  She  does  not  pre- 
tend to  literary  skill ;  she  attempts  no  elaborate  pictorial 
descriptions;  she  says  of  herself  that  she  has  neither 
wit  nor  humour  to  render  her  writings  entertaining; 
she  narrates  what  she  has  seen  in  the  plainest,  frank- 
est manner.      And  she  imposes  upon  us  the  conviction 


AfADAAfE  IDA   PFEIFFER.  ai7 

that  she  entered  upon  her  wondrous  journeys  from  no 
idle  vanity,  no  love  of  fame,  but  from  a  natural  love  of 
travel,  and  a  boundless  desire  of  acquiring  knowledge. 
*'  In  exactly  the  same  way,"  she  says,  "  as  the  artist  feels 
an  unconquerable  impulse  to  paint,  and  the  poet  to  give 
free  expression  to  his  thoughts,  so  was  I  hurried  away 
with  an  unconquerable  desire  to  see  the  world."  And 
she  saw  it  as  no  other  woman  has  ever  seen  it 

Ida  Reyer  was  born  at  Vienna  on  the  15  th  of 
October,  1797.  Her  parents  occupied  a  respectable 
position,  and  took  care  that  she  should  receive  a  decent 
education ;  but  from  her  earliest  childhood  she  mani- 
fested a  strong  distaste  for  the  accomplishments  and 
amusements  which  were  then  considered  "proper"  for 
her  sex.  They  were  too  tame  and  spiritless  for  her 
ardent  nature,  and  she  inclined  towards  the  bolder  and 
more  robust  pastimes  of  her  brothers.  Up  to  the  age 
of  nine  she  was  their  constant  companion — wore  clothes 
like  theirs,  and  shared  in  all  their  games,  looked  with 
utter  scorn  upon  dolls  and  toys,  and  thirsted  after  guns 
and  swords,  and  the  music  of  the  drum.  She  says  of 
herself  that  she  was  livelier  and  hardier  than  even  her 
elder  brothers,  who  were  lively  and  hardy  beyond  most 
boys  of  their  age.  Evidently  nature  had  gifted  her  with 
a  strong  constitution :  she  was  physically  as  well  as 
mentally  strong.  Endowed,  moreover,  with  an  heroic 
will,  she  loved  the  heroic  in  history  and  poetry. 
William  Tell  was  one  of  the  gods  of  her  idolatry,  and 


2i8  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

on  one  occasion  she  was  found  with  an  apple  on  her 
head,  at  which  her  brothers,  like  the  Swiss  champion, 
were  shooting  arrows! — a  remarkable  example  of  cool 
ness  of  nerve  and  contempt  of  danger.  For  Napoleon, 
as  the  conqueror  of  her  country,  she  entertained  an 
intense  feeling  of  hatred.  In  1809  she  was  compelled 
by  her  mother  to  accompany  her  to  the  Emperor's 
review  of  his  Imperial  Guards  at  Schonbrunn;  but  when 
he  approached  the  ground  she  indignantly  turned  her 
back.  Her  mother  struck  her,  and  by  sheer  force  held 
the  head  of  her  obstinate  daughter  towards  Napoleon. 
She  resolutely  shut  her  eyes,  and  thus  was  able  to  say 
that  she  had  never  seen  her  country's  oppressor. 

It  was  a  day  of  sorrow  for  Ida  when  she  was  forced  ta 
assume  the  dress  of  her  sex.  She  fell  ill  with  grief  and 
disappointment,  and  her  parents  found  it  necessary  to 
allow  her  to  retain  the  boy's  blouse  and  cap,  to  which 
she  was  so  partial.  Then,  as  if  by  magic,  she  recovered,, 
and  resumed  her  favourite  games.  She  acknowledges 
that  feminine  work  filled  her  with  contempt.  Pianoforte- 
playing,  amongst  other  things,  seemed  an  occupation  so 
inappropriate  and  uncongenial,  that  to  escape  those 
odious  "  exercises " — which  thousands  of  girls,  by  the 
way,  have  found  equally  distasteful — she  would  frequently 
cut  and  wound  her  fingers  severely. 

We  have  alluded  to  her  fondness  for  history.  She 
was  not  less  addicted  to  voyages  and  travels — to  any 
reading,  in  fact,  which  satisfied  her  love  of  adventure. 
She  would  envy  at  times  the  condition  of  a  postilion,. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  319 

and  the  sight  of  a  travelling  carriage   would   set  her 
dreaming  for  hours. 

She  was  fourteen  years  old  before  she  would  consent 
to  wear  petticoats.  About  the  same  time  her  parents 
placed  her  education  in  charge  of  a  young  professor, 
who,  recognizing  the  high  qualities  of  her  ill -regulated 
character,  set  himself  to  work  to  develope  and  mature 
them.  He  was  so  devoted  to  his  pupil,  that  she  on  her 
part  became  anxious  to  anticipate  his  wishes,  and  never 
felt  so  happy  as  when  he  was  satisfied  with  her  efforts. 
In  truth  it  was  the  old  story  of  Hymen  and  Iphigenia 
reversed.  Her  wayward  and  wilful  nature  was  subdued 
by  the  influence  of  love ;  and  at  the  cost  of  not  a  few 
tears,  she  renounced  her  childish  caprices  in  order  to 
please  him,  and  occupied  herself  with  the  pursuits  she 
had  previously  regarded  so  contemptuously.  She  took 
up  even  the  most  thoroughly  feminine  avocations,  and 
learned  to  sew,  and  knit,  and  cook.  Meanwhile,  she  was 
wholly  ignorant  of  the  nature  of  the  feeliijg  which  had 
transformed  the  romp  into  a  discreet  and  retiring  maiden, 
until,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  an  unexpected  incident 
awakened  her  to  it  A  Greek  merchant  sought  her 
hand ;  her  parents  refused  him  on  the  score  of  her 
youth.  "  Hitherto,"  she  writes,  "  I  had  had  no  presenti- 
ment of  the  violent  passion  which  can  make  one  either 
the  happiest  or  unhappiest  of  women.  When  my  mother 
informed  me  of  the  proposal,  and  I  learned  that  I  was 
destined  to  love  one  man  and  belong  to  him  only,  the 
impressions  I  had  until  then  all  unconsciously  expert- 


220  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

enced,  assumed  a  definite  form,  and  I  discovered  ♦^hat 
I  could  love  no  person  except  the  guide  of  my  youth." 
As  he  was  not  less  passionately  attached  to  her,  he 
hastened  to  make  a  proposal,  to  which  her  parents 
objected  on  the  ground  of  his  want  of  fortune.  The 
young  girl  openly  avowed  that  she  would  never  marry 
any  other,  and  adhered  tenaciously  to  her  opposition. 
But  after  a  while  the  young  man  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to 
respect  the  decision  of  her  parents,  and  his  correspondence 
with  his  pupil  ceased.  The  little  romance,  according  to 
Madame  Ida  Pfeiffer,  ended  as  follows : — 

"  Three  long  years  passed  without  our  meeting,  and 
without  any  change  taking  place  in  my  feelings.  One 
day,  when  I  was  out  walking  with  a  friend  of  my 
mother,  1  accidentally  met  my  old  master ;  both  of  us 
involuntarily  halted,  but  for  a  long  time  we  could  not 
speak.  At  length  he  contrived  to  subdue  his  emotions. 
As  for  myself,  I  was  too  much  disturbed  to  be  able  to  utter 
a  word ;  I  felt  as  if  1  should  swoon,  and  returned  home 
hastily.  Two  days  afterwards  I  was  seized  with  a  fever, 
which  at  first  the  doctors  thouglit  would  prove  mortal." 

Her  strong  constitution  carried  her  through  it.  On 
her  recovery,  in  her  burning  impatience  to  escape  from 
the  parental  roof,  she  declared  she  would  accept  the  first 
person  who  sought  her  hand,  provided  he  was  a  man  of 
a  certain  age ;  by  this  proviso  wishing  her  lover  to 
understand  that  her  marriage  was  wholly  due  to  con- 
straint. An  advocate  of  some  repute,  a  Herr  Pfciffei, 
proposed  and  was  accepted.     This  was  in  1820. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER  221 

A  marriage  made  under  such  conditions  could  hArdly 
prove  a  happy  one.  Her  husband  was  unworthy  of  her. 
He  treated  her  harshly,  and  he  wasted  the  fortune  she 
brought  him.  But  for  the  sake  of  her  two  sons,  Oscar 
and  Alfred,  she  endured  the  miseries  of  her  position  as 
long  as  she  was  able,  and  devoted  herself  with  assiduous 
self-sacrifice  to  their  education.  Meanwhile,  the  prosaic 
•character  of  her  daily  life  she  knew  how  to  relieve  by 
privately  indulging  in  dreams  of  travel,  of  adventure  in 
far  lands,  and  exploration  in  isles  beyond  the  sunset. 
•On  the  occasion  of  an  excursion  to  Trieste,  the  sight  of 
the  sea  revived  in  her  all  the  old  passionate  longing,  and 
the  visions  of  her  childhood  became  the  fixed  resolves 
and  convictions  of  her  womanhood 


MADAME  IDA  PFEIFFER. 
IL 

AT  length  she  was  free  to  indulge  her  long-cherished' 
inclinations.  Her  sons  stood  no  longer  in  need 
of  her  support ;  her  husband  was  separated  from  her 
and  was  living  in  retirement  at  Lemberg ;  her  means, 
though  moderate,  were  not  inadequate  to  the  frilfilment 
of  the  projects  she  had  in  view.  It  was  true  she  was- 
forty-five  years  old,  and  that  is  not  an  age  at  which  one 
usually  attempts  a  tour  round  the  world;  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  it  invested  a  woman  with  a  certain  degree 
of  security,  and  it  rendered  more  feasible  an  enterprise 
which  in  any  case  was  beset  with  difficulties. 

Having  completed  the  necessary  preparations,  she  set 
out  on  her  first  great  journey  in  March,  1842.  It  was 
natural  enough  that  a  woman  of  religious  temperament 
should  be  attracted  to  the  Holy  Land.  She  visited  its 
holiest  places,  and  the  effect  they  produced  upon  her 
imagination   is  a   proof   that    years  and    the  cares    oft 


MADAME  IDA  PFEIFFER,  aa^. 

domestic  life  had  in  no  wise  chilled  its  early  warmth. 
Returning  in  December,  she  proceeded  to  compile  <k 
narrative  of  her  experiences,  which  was  published  in 
1843,  under  the  title  of  *'  Travels  of  a  Viennese  Woman 
to  the  Holy  Land,"  and  immediately  obtained  a  world- 
wide popularity.  Its  merits,  however,  are  not  of  a 
literary  character ;  its  attractiveness  is  due  entirely  to  its 
simplicity  and  straightforwardness.  The  reader  at  once 
discovers  that  he  is  deahng  with  a  writer  who  makes  no- 
attempt  to  deceive,  who  neither  diminishes  nor  exag- 
gerates, nor  adapts  her  facts  to  preconceived  opinions. 
To  this  we  may  add  that  Madame  Pfeiffer.  though  an. 
accurate,  is  not  a  profound  observer. 

From  the  sultry  heat  of  the  East  she  next  betook 
herself  to  the  sullen  cold  of  the  North ;  and  the  result 
of  her  wanderings  in  1846  was  a  lively  book  upon^ 
Scandinavia  and  Iceland,  describing  perils  which  few 
men  would  care  to  confront,  with  evidently  unaft'ected 
enjojnnenL 

But  these  comparatively  short  excursions  were  but 
preliminary  to  the  great  enterprise  of  her  life,  the  pro* 
logue,  as  it  were,  to  the  five-act  drama,  with  all  its. 
surprises,  hazards,  amazing  situations,  and  striking, 
scenes.  The  experience  she  had  acquired  as  a  traveller 
she  resolved  to  utilize  in  the  accomplishment  of  a  tour 
round  the  world,  and  on  this  notable  advf  nture  she  set 
out  in  June,  1846,  being  then  in  her  fiftieth  year,  orw 
board  the  Caroline^  a  Danish  brig,  bound  for  Rio- 
Janeiro.     She  arrived  at  the  Brazilian   capital   on   the 


•221  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

1 6th  of  September,  and  remained  there  for  upwards  r/ 
two  months,  exclusive  of  the  time  devoted  to  excursions 
into  the  interior.  On  one  of  these  excursions  she 
narrowly  escaped  the  murderer's  knife.  She  and  her 
<;ompanion,  in  a  lonely  spot,  were  overtaken  by  a  negro, 
who,  with  ;i  lasso  in  one  hand  and  a  long  knife  in  the 
other,  suddenly  sprang  upon  them,  and  gave  them  to 
understand,  more  by  gestures  than  words,  that  he 
intended  to  murder  them,  and  then  drag  their  bodies 
mto  the  forest.  They  had  no  arms,  having  been  told 
that  the  road  was  perfectly  safe  ;  their  only  defensive 
weapons  were  their  parasols,  with  the  exception  of  a 
Kilasp  knife,  which  Ida  Pfeiffer  instantly  drew  from  her 
pocket  and  opened,  resolved  to  sell  her  life  as  dearly  as 
possible.  They  parried  their  adversary's  blows  as  long 
as  they  could  with  their  parasols,  but  these  did  not  long 
avail ;  Madame  Pfeiffer's  broke  in  the  struggle,  leaving 
only  a  fragment  of  the  handle  in  her  hand.  The  negro, 
however,  dropped  his  knife;  the  courageous  woman  made 
an  effort  to  seize  it ;  he  thrust  her  away  with  his  hands 
and  feet,  recovered  it,  and  brandishing  it  furiously  over 
her  head,  dealt  her  two  wounds  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
left  arm.  She  thought  she  was  lost,  but  despair  nerved 
her  to  use  her  own  knife ;  she  made  a  thrust  at  his  breast, 
but  succeeded  only  in  wounding  him  severely  in  the 
liand.  At  the  same  moment,  her  companion.  Count 
Berchthold,  sprang  forward,  and  while  he  seized  the 
villain  from  behind,  Madame  Pfeiffer  regained  her  feet. 
All  this  took  place  in  less  than  a  minute.     The  negro 


MADAME  IDA  PFEIFFER.  225 

was  now  roused  into  a  condition  of  maniacal  fury;  he 
gnashed  his  teeth  like  a  wild  beast,  and  brandished  his 
knife,  while  shouting  fearful  threats.  The  issue  of  the 
contest  would  probably  have  been  disastrous,  but  for  the 
opportune  arrival  of  assistance.  Hearing  the  tramp  of 
horses'  hoofs  upon  the  road,  the  negro  desisted  from  his 
attack,  and  sprang  into  the  forest.  A  couple  of  horse- 
men turning  the  comer  of  the  road,  our  travellers  hurried 
to  meet  them,  and  having  heard  their  tale,  which,  indeed, 
their  wounds  told  eloquently  enough,  they  leaped  from 
their  horses,  and  entered  the  wood  in  pursuit.  Two 
negroes  afterwards  came  up ;  the  villain  was  captured, 
securely  pinioned,  and,  as  he  would  not  walk,  severely 
beaten,  until,  as  most  of  the  blows  fell  upon  his  head, 
Madame  Pfeiffer  feared  the  wretch's  skull  would  be 
broken.  Nothing,  however,  would  induce  him  to  walk, 
and  the  negroes  were  compelled  to  carry  him  bodily  to 
the  nearest  house. 

Our  traveller  was  much  impressed  by  the  beauties  of 
the  tropical  scenery.  In  one  of  her  rambles  she  crossed 
a  small  waterfall;  she  struck  right  into  the  depths  of 
the  virgin  forest,  following  a  narrow  path  along  the  bank 
of  a  little  stream.  Stately-crested  palms  waved  high 
above  the  other  trees,  which  intertwining  their  inextricable 
boughs,  formed  the  loveliest  fairy-bowers  imaginable; 
every  stem,  every  branch,  was  garlanded  with  fantastic 
orchids;  while  ferns  and  creepers  glided  up  the  tall, 
smooth  trunks,  mingling  with  the  boughs,  and  spreading 
in  every   direction  waving   curtains   of  flowers   of  the 


"236  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER, 

rarest  fragrance  and  vividest  hues  imaginable.  With  shrill 
twittering  cry  and  rapid  wing  flashed  the  humming-bird 
through  the  transparent  air;  the  pepper-pecker,  with 
glowing  plumage,  rose  timorously  upwards ;  while  parrots 
and  parroquets,  and  innumerable  birds  of  beautiful 
appearance,  enhanced,  by  their  voices  and  movements, 
ithe  loveliness  of  the  scene. 

From  Rio  Janeiro  Madame  Pfeiffer  sailed  in  an 
English  ship,  X^a^John  Renwick^  on  the  9th  of  September, 
for  Valparaiso,  the  great  sea-port  of  Chili.  In  sailing 
•southward,  the  ship  touched  at  Santos,  where  the  voyagers 
celebrated  New  Year's  Day,  and  they  made  the  mouth  of 
(the  Rio  Plata  on  the  nth  of  January.  In  these  latitudes 
the  Southern  Cross  is  the  most  conspicuous  object  in  the 
'heavens.  It  consists  of  five  shining  stars,  arranged  in 
two  diagonal  rows.  Towards  the  end  oi  the  month 
Madame  Pfeiffer  gazed  upon  the  sterile  cliffs  and 
barren  mountains  of  Patagonia,  and  next  upon  the 
'volcanic  rocks,  wave-worn  and  wind-beaten,  of  Fire- 
Land,  or  Tierra  del  Fuego.  Through  the  Strait  of  Le 
Main,  which  separates  the  latter  from  Staten  Island, 
the  voyagers  passed  onward  to  the  extreme  southern 
point  of  the  American  Continent,  the  famous  promon- 
tory of  Cape  Horn.  This  is  the  last  spur  of  the 
mighty  mountain-chain  of  the  Andes,  and  consists  of  a 
mass  of  huge  basaltic  rocks,  piled  together  in  huge 
.disorder  as  by  a  Titan's  hand. 

Doubling  Cape  Horn  they  encountered  a  furious  gale, 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFEP.  227 

'which  raged  for  several  days ;  and  soon  discovered, 
like  other  voyagers,  how  little  the  great  southern  ocean 
•deserves  its  name  of  the  Pacific  "Such  a  storm  as 
this,"  says  Ida  Pfeiffer,  **  affords  much  food  for  reflection. 
You  are  alone  upon  the  boundless  ocean,  far  from  all 
human  aid,  and  feel  more  than  ever  that  your  life 
-depends  upon  the  Most  High  alone.  The  man  who, 
in  such  a  dread  and  solemn  moment  can  still  believe 
there  is  no  God,  must  indeed  be  irretrievably  struck 
with  mental  blindness.  During  such  convulsions  of 
Nature  a  feeling  of  tranquil  joy  always  comes  over  me. 
I  very  often  had  myself  bound  near  the  binnacle,  and 
.allowed  the  tremendous  waves  to  break  over  me,  in 
•order  to  absorb,  as  it  were,  as  much  of  the  spectacle 
before  me  as  possible ;  on  no  occasion  did  I  ever  feel 
•alarmed,  but  always  full  of  confidence  and  resignation." 

Madame  Pfeiffer  reached  Valparaiso  on  the  2nd  of 
-March.  She  was  by  no  means  pleased  with  its  appear- 
4ince.  It  is  laid  out  in  two  long  streets,  at  the  foot  of 
•dreary  hills,  these  hills  consisting  of  a  pile  of  rocks 
•covered  with  thin  strata  of  earth  and  sand.  Some  of 
them  are  crowded  with  houses ;  on  one  lies  the  church- 
yard ;  the  others  are  sterile  and  solitary.  The  two  chief 
-streets  are  broad  and  much  frequented,  especially  by 
horsemen,  for  every  Chilian  is  born  a  horseman,  and  is 
•usually  mounted  on  a  steed  worthy  of  a  good  rider. 

Valparaiso  houses  are  European  in  style,  with  flat 
itahan  roofs.  Broad  steps  lead  up  into  a  lofty  entrance- 
•hall  on  the  first  floor,  from  which,  through  large  glass 


228  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

doors,  the  visitor  passes  into  the  drawing-room  and 
other  apartments.  The  drawing-room  is  the  pride,  not 
only  of  every  European  settler,  but  of  every  native 
Chilian.  The  foot  sinks  into  heavy  and  costly  carpets  ; 
the  walls  are  hung  with  rich  tapestry  ;  the  furniture  and 
mirrors  are  from  European  makers,  and  gorgeous  in 
the  extreme. 

A  singular  custom  prevails  among  the  Chilians  on 
the  death  of  a  little  child.  Such  an  incident  is  a  cause 
of  sorrow  and  tears  in  most  European  families  :  in  Chili 
it  is  the  occasion  of  a  great  festival.  The  deceased 
angelito,  or  little  angel,  is  adorned  in  various  ways.  Its 
eyes,  instead  of  being  closed,  are  opened  as  wide  as 
possible ;  its  cheeks  are  painted  red ;  then  the  cold 
rigid  corpse  is  decked  in  the  finest  clothes,  crowned 
with  flowers,  and  set  up  on  a  little  chair  in  a  flower- 
wreathed  niche.  Relatives  and  neighbours  crowd  in  to 
wish  the  parents  joy  in  the  possession  of  such  an  angel ; 
and,  during  the  first  night,  they  keep  a  kind  of  Irish 
wake,  indulging  in  the  most  extravagant  dances,  and 
feasting  before  the  angelito  in  a  mood  of  the  wildest 
merriment. 

On  the  ist  of  March  our  adventurous  traveller,  having 
resolved  on  putting  a  girdle  round  about  the  world,  took 
her  passage  for  China  in  the  Dutch  barque  Lootpuit^ 
Captain  Van  Wyk  Jurianse.  On  the  26th  of  April,  her 
eyes  were  gladdened  with  a  view  of  the  "  island-Eden  " 
of   the    Southern   seas,   Tahiti,   the   largest   and   most 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  iif^ 

beautiful  of  the  Society  group.  From  the  days  of 
Bougainville,  its  discoverer,  down  to  those  of  "  the  Earl 
and  the  Doctor,"  who  recently  visited  it,  Tahiti  has  moved 
the  admiration  of  voyagers  by  the  charms  of  its  scenery. 
It  lifts  the  summit  of  its  pyramidal  mass  out  of  a  wealth 
of  luxuriant  vegetation,  which  sweeps  down  to  the  very 
margin  of  a  sea  as  blue  as  the  sky  above  it  Cool 
verdurous  valleys  slope  gently  into  its  mountain  recesses, 
their  swelling  declivities  loaded  with  groves  of  bread- 
fruit and  cocoa-nut  trees.  The  inhabitants,  physically 
speaking,  are  not  unworthy  of  their  island-home ;  a  tall, 
robust,  and  well-knit  race,  they  would  be  comely  but 
for  their  custom  of  flattening  the  nose  as  soon  as  the 
child  is  born.  They  have  thick  jet-black  hair  and  fine 
dark  eyes.  The  colour  of  their  skin  is  a  copper-brown. 
Both  sexes,  at  the  time  of  Ida  Pfeiffer's  visit,  preserved 
the  custom  of  tattooing,  the  devices  being  often  very 
fanciful  in  design,  and  always  artistically  executed. 

The  Tahitian  women  have  always  been  notorious  for 
their  immodesty  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  past  labours 
of  English  missionaries,  the  island  continues  to  be  the 
Polynesian  Paphos.  The  moral  standard  of  the  popu- 
lation has  not  been  raised  since  thev  came  under  the 
shadow  of  a  French  protectorate. 

Madame  Pfeiffer  undertook  an  excursion  to  the  Lake 
Vaihiria,  assuming  for  the  occasion  a  kind  of  masculine 
attire,  very  suitable  if  not  peculiarly  becoming.  She 
wore,  she  tells  us,  strong  men's  shoes,  trousers,  and 
a   blouse,   which  covered   the   hips.      Thus   equipped, 

15 


230  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

she  started  off  with  her  guide,  and  in  the  first  six  miles 
waded  through  about  tvvo-and-thirty  brooks.  Then, 
through  a  maze  of  ravines,  she  struck  off  into  the 
interior.  As  they  advanced,  she  noticed  that  the  fruit 
trees  disappeared,  and  that  instead  the  slopes  were 
covered  with  plantains,  tarros,  and  marantas,  the  last 
attaining  a  height  of  twelve  feet,  and  growing  so  luxu- 
riantly that  it  was  with  some  difficulty  the  traveller  made 
her  way  through  the  tangle.  The  tarro,  or  taro,  which  is 
carefully  cultivated,  averages  two  or  three  feet  in  height, 
and  has  fine  large  leaves  and  tubers  like  those  of  the 
potato,  but  not  so  good  when  roasted.  Very  graceful 
is  the  appearance  of  the  plantain,  or  banana,  which 
varies  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  has  fine 
large  leaves  like  those  of  the  palm,  but  a  brittle  reedy 
stem,  not  more  than  eight  inches  in  diameter.  It  attains 
its  full  growth  in  the  first  year,  bears  fruit  in  the  second, 
and  then  dies ;  thus  its  life  is  as  brief  as  it  is  useful. 

Tahiti  is  an  island  of  many  waters ;  through  one 
bright  crystal  mountain-stream,  which  swept  along  the 
(ravine  over  a  stony  bed,  breaking  and  dimpling  into 
<eddies  and  tiny  whirlpools,  and  in  some  places  attaining 
a  depth  of  three  feet,  Madame  Pfeiffer  and  her  guide 
waded,  or  half  swam,  two-and- sixty  times.  We  are  filled 
with  admiration  at  the  resolute  spirit  of  this  courageous 
woman,  who,  though  the  track  at  every  step  became 
more  difficult  and  dangerous,  persisted  in  pressing 
forward.  She  clambered  over  rocks  and  stones;  she 
^cced  her  way  through  intertangied  bushes ;  and,  though 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  231 

severely  wounded  in  hands  and  feet,  never  faltered  for  a 
moment.  At  two  points  the  ravine  narrowed  so  con- 
siderably that  the  entire  area  was  filled  by  the  brawling 
torrent. 

In  eight  hours  the  bold  traveller  and  her  guide  had 
walked,  waded,  and  clambered  some  eighteen  miles, 
and  attained  an  elevation  of  fully  eighteen  hundred  feet 
The  lake  itself  was  not  visible  until  they  came  upon  its 
very  margin,  for  it  lies  deep  down  in  a  dark  hollow 
among  lofty  precipices,  which,  with  startling  abruptness, 
descend  to  the  edge  of  the  darkling  waters.  To  cross 
the  lake  the  traveller  must  trust  to  his  swimming  powers, 
•or  to  a  curiously  frail  kind  of  boat  which  the  natives 
■construct  on  the  spot  with  equal  skill  and  rapidity.  Ida 
Pfeiffer  was  nothing  if  not  adventurous,  and  whatever 
was  to  be  dared,  she  straightway  confronted.  At  her 
request,  the  guide  turned  boat-builder.  He  tore  off 
•some  branches  of  plantain,  bound  them  together  with  long 
tough  grass,  laid  a  few  leaves  upon  them,  launched  them 
in  the  water,  and  then  requested  Madame  Pfeiffer  to 
embark.  She  acknowledges  to  have  felt  a  little  hesita- 
tion, but,  without  saying  a  word,  stepped  "onboard" 
Her  guide  took  to  the  water  like  a  duck,  and  propelled 
the  crazy  craft,  which,  however,  made  the  transit  of  the 
lake,  and  back  again,  without  accident. 

Having  fully  satisfied  herself  with  admiring  the  lake 
and  Its  surrounding  scener\',  she  withdrew  to  a  little 
nook  thatched  over  with  leaves,  where  her  guide  quickly 
kindled  a  good  fire  in  the  Indian  fashion.     Cutting  a 


232  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

small  piece  of  wood  to  a  fine  point,  and  then  selecting 
a  second  piece,  which  he  grooved  with  a  narrow  and  not 
very  deep  furrow,  in  this  he  rubbed  the  pointed  stick 
until  the  fragments  detached  during  the  process  began 
to  smoke.  These  he  flung  into  a  heap  of  grass  and  dry 
leaves  previously  collected,  and  swung  the  whole  several 
times  round  in  the  air  until  it  ignited.  The  entire  opera- 
tion did  not  occupy  more  than  two  minutes.  Some 
roasted  plantains  served  for  supper  ;  after  which  Madame 
Pfeiffer  retired  to  her  lonely  couch  of  dry  leaves,  to  sleep 
as  best  she  might.  Who  will  refuse  a  tribute  of  admira- 
tion to  the  courage,  self-reliance,  and  intrepidity  of 
this  remarkable  woman?  Who  but  must  admire  her 
wonderful  physical  capabilities  ?  How  many  of  her  sex 
could  endure  for  a  week  the  exposure  and  fatigue  to 
which  she  subjected  herself  year  after  year  ? 

The  night  passed  without  any  eventful  incident,  and 
on  the  following  morning  she  accomplished  the  return 
journey  in  safety. 

On  the  17th  of  May  she  left  Tahiti,  the  Dutch  vessel 
in  which  she  had  embarked  being  bound  via  the 
Philippines.  This  rich  and  radiant  island  group  they 
passed  on  the  ist  of  July,  and  the  next  day  entered  the 
dangerous  China  Sea.  Soon  afterwards  they  reached 
Hong  Kong,  which  had  been  an  English  settlement  since 
1842.  But  as  Madame  Pfeiffer  wanted  to  see  the  Chinese 
at  home,  she  made  no  stay  in  this  hybrid  town,  but 
ascended  the  Pearl  River,  marvelling  much  at  the  im- 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  233 

mense  rice-plantations  on  either  bank,  and  the  quaint 
little  country  houses,  with  their  fronts  of  coloured  tiles, 
to  Canton.  As  she  approached  this  great  seat  of  com- 
merce, she  was  much  moved  by  the  liveliness  of  the 
scene.  The  river  was  thronged  with  ships  and  inhabited 
boats — with  junks  almost  as  large  as  the  old  Spanish 
galleons,  their  poops  impending  far  over  the  water,  and 
covered  in  with  a  roof,  like  a  house ;  with  men-of-war, 
flat,  broad,  and  long,  mounted  with  twenty  or  thirty 
guns,  and  ornamented  in  the  usual  Chinese  mode,  with 
two  large  painted  eyes  at  the  prow,  that  they  may  be  the 
better  able  to  see  their  way.  Mandarins'  boats  she  saw, 
with  doors,  and  sides,  and  windows  gaily  painted,  with 
carved  galleries,  and  tiny  silken  flags  fluttering  from  every 
point  And  flower-boats  she  also  saw  ;  their  upper  gal- 
leries decked  with  flowers,  garlands,  and  arabesques,  as 
if  they  were  barks  fitted  out  for  the  enjoyment  of  Queen 
Titania  and  her  fairy  company.  The  interior  is  divided 
into  one  large  apartment  and  a  few  cabinets,  which  are 
lighted  by  quaint- patterned  windows.  Mirrors  and 
silken  hangings  embellish  the  sides,  while  the  enchant- 
ing scene  is  completed  with  a  liberal  store  of  glass 
chandeliers  and  coloured  paper  lanterns,  interspersed 
with  lovely  little  baskets  of  fresh  flowers. 

It  was  characteristic  of  Madame  Pfeiffer  that  she  found 
access  to  so  much  which  no  European  woman  had  ever 
seen  before.  She  obtained  entrance  even  into  a  Buddhist 
temple — that  of  Honan,  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  finest 
in  China.     A  high  wall  surrounds  the  sacred  enclosure. 


234  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

The  visitor  enters  first  a  large  outer  court,  and  thence^ 
through  a  huge  gateway,  passes  into  the  inner.  Beneath 
the  gateway  stand  the  statues  of  war-gods,  each  eighteen 
feet  high,  with  faces  terribly  distorted,  and  in  the  most 
threatening  attitudes ;  these  are  supposed  to  prevent  the 
approach  of  evil  genii.  A  second  portal,  similarly  con- 
s.tructed,  under  which  the  "four  heavenly  kings"  sit 
enthroned,  leads  to  a  third  court,  surrounding  the 
principal  sanctuary,  which  measures  one  hundred  feet  in 
length,  and  is  of  equal  breadth.  On  rows  of  wooden 
pillars  rests  a  flat  roof,  from  which  hang  glass  lamps, 
lustres,  artificial  flowers,  and  brightly-coloured  ribbons. 
Ail  about  the  area  are  scattered  altars,  statues,  vases  of 
flowers,  censers,  and  candelabra. 

But  the  eye  is  chiefly  attracted  b}'  the  three  shrihes 
in  the  foreground,  with  the  three  coloured  statues  behind 
them,  of  Buddha,  seated  as  symbolical  of  Past,  Present, 
and  Future.  On  the'  occasion  of  Madame  Ida  Pfeifler's 
visit,  a  funeral  ceremony  was  being  performed  in 
honour  of  a  mandarin's  deceased  wife.  Before  the  right 
and  left  altars  stood  several  priests,  in  garments  curiously 
resembling,  as  did  the  rites  also  resemble,  those  of  the 
Roman  Church.  The  mandarin  himself,  attended  by  a 
couple  of  fan-bearers,  prayed  before  the  middle  altar. 
He  kissed  the  ground  repeatedly,  and  each  time  he  did 
so,  thin,  fragrant  wax  tapers  were  put  into  his  hands. 
These,  after  raising  in  the  air,  he  handed  to  the  priests, 
who  then  stationed  them,  unlighted,  before  the  Buddha 
images.      Meantime,    the   temple    resounded   with    the 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  235 

mingling  strains  of  three  musicians,  one  of  whom  strucl 
a  metal  ball,  while  another  scraped  a  stringed  instru- 
ment, and  a  third  educed  shrill  notes  from  a  kind  ol 
flute. 

This  principal  temple  is  surrounded  by  numerous 
smaller  sanctuaries,  each  decorated  with  images  of  deities, 
rudely  wrought,  but  a-glow  with  gold  and  vivid  colours. 
Special  reverence  seems  to  be  accorded  to  Kwanfootse; 
a  demi-god  of  war,  and  to  the  four-and-twenty  gods  of 
mercy.  These  latter  have  four,  six,  and  even  eight  arms. 
In  the  Temple  of  Mercy,  Madame  Pfeiffer  met  with  an 
unpleasant  adventure.  A  Bonze  had  offered  her  and 
her  companions  a  couple  of  wax  tapers  to  light  in 
honour  of  the  god.  They  were  on  the  point  of  com- 
pliance, as  a  mere  act  of  civility,  when  an  American 
missionary,  who  was  one  of  the  visitors,  roughly  snatched 
them  from  their  hands,  and  gave  them  back  to  the 
priests,  protesting  that  such  compliance  was  idolatrous. 
It  was  not  without  difficulty  they  forced  their  way 
through  the  crowd,  and  escaped  from  the  temple. 

The  curiosity  hunters  were  next  led  to  the  so-called 
House  of  the  Sacred  Swine.  These  porcine  treasures 
are  as  tenderly  cared  for  as  was  Hamlet's  mother  by 
Hamlet's  father.  They  reside  in  a  spacious  hall  of  stone, 
but  the  atmosphere,  it  must  be  owned,  teems  with  odours 
that  are  not  Sabaean.  Throughout  their  idle  existence, 
the  swine  are  reverentially  cherished  and  Hberally  fed ; 
nor  is  the  cruel  knife  permitted  to  cut  short  the  thread 
of  their  destiny.     At  the  time  of  Ida  Pfeiffer's  visit,  only 


236  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

one  pair  were  living  in  this  otiose  state,  and  the  number 
seldom  exceeds  three  pairs. 

From  China  our  adventurous  lady  sailed  for  the  East 
Indies,  "  looking  in  "  on  the  way  at  Singapore,  a  British 
settlement,  which  forms  the  meeting-place  of  the  traders 
of  South  Asia.  The  scener'  around  it  is  of  a  rich 
and  agreeable  character,  and  the  island  on  which  it  is 
situated  excels  in  fertility  of  vegetation.  Very  pleasant 
the  visitor  finds  it,  to  saunter  among  the  plantations  of 
cloves  and  nutmegs,  the  air  breathing  a  peculiar  balsamic 
fragrance,  a  concentration  of  sweet  odours.  Pepper 
and  gambie  plantations  are  also  among  the  sights  of 
Singapore.  Further,  it  is  an  island  of  fruits.  Here 
thrives  the  delectable  mangosteno,  which  almost  melts  in 
the  mouth,  and  enchants  the  palate  with  its  exquisite 
flavour.  Here,  too,  the  pine-apple  frequently  attains  the 
weight  of  four  pounds.  Here  grows  the  saucroys,  as  big 
as  the  biggest  pine-apple,  green  outside,  and  white  or 
pale  yellow  inside,  with  a  taste  and  perfume  like  that  of 
the  strawberry.  And  to  Singapore  belongs  the  custard- 
apple,  which  is  as  savoury  as  its  compound  name 
implies. 

From  Singapore,  Madame  Pfeiffer  crossed  to  Point  de 
Galle,  in  Ceylon.  The  charming  appearance  of  this 
island  from  the  sea  moved  her,  as  it  moves  every  tra- 
veller, to  admiration.  "  It  was  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
sights  I  evei  beheld,"  she  says,  "that  island  soaring 
gradually  from  the  sea,  with  its  mountain  ranges  growing 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  237 

^more  and  more  distinctly  defined,  their  summits  lighted 
\yj  the  sun,  while  the  dense  cocoa-groves,  and  the  hills, 
^nd  the  plains  lay  shrouded  in  cool  shadows."  Above 
Xhe  whole  towers  the  purple  mass  of  Adam's  Peak,  and 
wherever  the  eye  roams,  it  surveys  the  most  prodigal 
rfoliage,  and  glades  rich  in  verdure,  and  turfy  slopes  deep 
in  flowers. 

Point  de  Galle  presents  a  curious  mixture  of  races. 
^Cingalese,  Kanditores,  Tamils  from  South  India,  and 
Moormans,  with  crimson  caftans  and  shaven  crowns,  form 
the  bulk  of  the  crowd  that  throng  its  streets ;  but,  besides 
these,  there  are  Portuguese,  Chinese,  Jews,  Arabs, 
Parsees,  Malays,  Dutchmen,  English,  with  half-caste 
'burghers,  and  now  and  then  a  veiled  Arab  woman,  or  a 
Veddah,  one  of  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  the  island. 
-Sir  Charles  Dilke  speaks  of  "  silent  crowds  of  tall  and 
.-graceful  girls,  as  we  at  first  supposed,  wearing  white 
petticoats  and  bodices,  their  hair  carried  off  the  face  with 
•a  decorated  hoop,  and  caught  at  the  back  by  a  high 
tortoise-shell  comb.  As  they  drew  near,  moustaches  began 
•to  show,  and  I  saw  that  they  were  men,  whilst  walking 
■with  them  were  women  naked  to  the  waist,  combless, 
and  far  more  rough  and  '  manly '  than  their  husbands. 
Petticoats  and  chignons  are  male  institutions  in  Ceylon." 

With  indefatigable  energy  of  mind  and  body,  Madame 
iPfeiffer  visited  Colombo  and  Kandy,  the  chief  towns  of 
•'the  island.  At  the  latter  she  obtained  admission  to  the 
'temple  of  Dagoba,  which  contains  a  precious  relic  of 
liuddha,   namely,   one   of    his   teeth.       The   sanctuary 


238  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

enshrining  it  is  a  small  chamber  or  cell,  less  than  twenty.- 
feet  in  breadth.  It  is  shrouded  in  darkness,  for  of^ 
windows  there  are  none,  and  the  door  is  curtained, 
inside,  still  more  effectually  to  exclude  the  light  Rich. 
tapestry  covers  the  walls  and  ceiling.  But  the  principal' 
object  is  the  altar,  which  glitters  with  plates  of  silver, 
and  is  encrusted  about  the  edges  with  precious  stones. 
Upon  it  rests  a  bell-shaped  case,  about  three  feet  high, 
and  at  the  base  three  feet  in  diameter.  It  is  made  of- 
silver,  is  elaborately  gilt,  and  decorated  with  costly 
jewels.  In  the  middle  blazes  a  peacock  of  precious 
stones.  Six  smaller  cases,  said  to  be  of  gold,  each' 
diminishing  in  size,  are  enclosed  within  the  large  case, 
and  under  the  last  is  the  tooth  of  Buddha.  It  is  as  large 
as  that  of  a  great  bull,  so  the  great  Indian  philosopher 
must  have  had  a  monstrous  jaw  ! 

Madame  Pfeiffer  arrived  at  Madras  on  the  30th  of 
October.  Thence  she  proceeded  to  Calcutta,  the  city  of' 
palaces;  but,  of  course,  she  adds  nothing  to  the  in- 
formation furnished  by  a  swarm  of  travellers.  She  saw 
the  broad  flood  of  the  Ganges,  and,  filling  a  glass  with 
its  sacred  water,  drank  to  the  health  of  the  Europeans ^ 
and  all  whom  she  loved. 

Throughout  her  Indian  travel  she  felt  much  vexed' 
at  being  conveyed  in  a  palanquin  ;  it  seemed  a  dishonour- 
ing of  men  to  treat  them  as  beasts  of  buraen.  How- 
ever, necessity  prevailed  over  her  humanitarian  scruples. 
Unlike  the  majority  of  Indian  tourists,  she  went  every- 
where without  an  expensive  retinue  of  attendants  ;   she:- 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  239. 

had  but  one  servant,  yet  she  contrived  to  go  everywhere, 
and  to  see  all  that  was  to  be  seen.     It  is  worth  noting 
tliat  she  reduced  the  cost  of  travel  to  a  minimum,  andi 
accomplished  the  circuit   of  the  globe  for  a  less  sura 
than  the  rent  of  a  furnished  house  in  Mayfair  for  only  a 
twelvemonth.     It  is  true  that  she  submitted  to  privations 
which  the    English   tourist  would   deem  insupportable ;. 
she  embarked  in  sailing  ships  because  they  were  cheaper 
than  steamers  ;   resorted  to  third-class  railway  carriages ;. 
avoided    expensive    hotels ;      lived     always    with     the 
"  masses "   and  on    plainest   fare ;   and   dispensed  with 
the  services   of  dragoman   or  interpreter.      But  for  all 
that    her   enjoyment   was    not    the    less,    and    she    saw- 
much  which,   had  she  travelled   in   the   usual    fashion,, 
she  would  not  have  seen. 

One  is  apt  to  think  that  a  woman  who  accomplished*, 
such  reallv  remarkable  feats  of  endurance  and  energy 
must  have  been  endowed  with  great  physical  strength 
and  robust  proportions.  But  such  was  by  no  means  the 
case.  Her  stature  did  not  exceed — nay,  was  below— 
the  average,  and. there  was  nothing  masculine  in  her' 
face  or  figure  "  I  smile,"  she  says  in  one  of  her  letters,. 
"  when  I  think  of  those  who,  knowing  me  only  through 
my  voyages,  imagine  that  I  must  be  more  like  a  man 
than  a  woman  !  Those  who  expect  to  see  me  about  six- 
feet  high,  of  bold  demeanour,  and  with  pistol  in  my 
belt,  will  find  me  a  woman  as  peaceable  and  as  reserved 
as  most  of  those  who  have  never  set  foot  outside  their 
native  village." 


240  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

At  Benares  she  saw  the  bazaars,  and  the  temples,  and 
the  palaces ;  the  bathing  in  the  Ganges,  the  burning  of 
the  dead  on  the  bank  of  the  sacred  river,  and  a  nautchni 
or  dance  of  nautches ;  but  her  attention  was  chiefly 
drawn  to  the  miserable  fanaticism  of  the  fakeers,  who 
revelled  in  self-imposed  tortures.  Thus  they  stuck  an 
iron  hook  through  the  flesh,  and  allowed  themselves  to 
fee  suspended  by  it  at  a  height  of  twenty  or  twenty-five 
feet ;  or  for  long  hours  they  stood  upon  one  foot  in  the 
burning  sunshine,  with  their  arms  rigidly  extended  ia 
the  air ;  or  they  held  heavy  weights  in  various  positions, 
•swinging  round  and  round  for  hours  together,  and  tear- 
ing the  flesh  from  their  bodies  with  red-hot  pincers. 
One  man  held  a  heavy  axe  over  his  head  as  if  about  to 
fell  a  tree,  and  in  this  position  stood  immovable  like  a 
•statue;  another  held  the  point  of  his  toe  to  his  nose. 
Yet,  from  one  point  of  view,  these  men  are  right. 
What  torture  of  the  body  can  equal  the  torture  of  the 
■soul?  If  it  were  possible  by  any  amount  of  physical 
pain  to  still  and  silence  the  agony  of  conscience,  who 
would  not  endure  it?  The  greatest  condemnation  of 
the  self-cruelty  of  the  fakeers  is — its  uselessness. 

In  her  tour  through  India  Madame  Pfeiffer  visited 
Allahabad,  at  the  junction  of  the  Jumna  and  the  Ganges ; 
Agra,  where  she  surveyed  with  admiring  eyes  the  lovely 
Taj-Mahal,  erected  by  the  Sultan  Jehan  as  a  memorial 
to  his  favourite  wife,  and  the  Pearl  Mosque,  renowned  for 
•*.he  beauty  of  its  carving  ;  Delhi,  the  ancient  capital  of 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  241 

the  Moguls;  the  cave-temples  of  EUora  and  Ajunta, 
and  the  great  commercial  port  of  Bombay. 

Crossing  the  border  of  British  India,  she  sailed  to  Bas- 
sora,  and  ascended  the  historic  Tigris — so  named  from  the 
tiger-like  swiftness  of  its  course  —to  Bagdad,  that  quaint 
Oriental  city,  which  is  associated  with  so  many  wonder- 
fill  legends  and  not  less  wonderful  "travellers'  tales." 
This  was  of  old  the  residence  of  the  great  Haroun- 
al-Raschid,  a  ruler  of  no  ordinary  sagacity  and  the 
hero  of  many  a  picturesque  tradition,  whose  name  the 
"Thousand  and  One  Nights"  have  made  familiar  to 
every  English  reader.  It  is  still  a  populous  and  wealthy 
city,  with,  we  suspect,  a  future  before  it  not  less  glorious 
than  its  past.  Many  of  its  houses  are  surrounded  by 
blooming  gardens  ;  its  shops  are  bright  with  the  products 
of  Eastern  looms;  and  it  descends  in  terraces  to  the 
river  banks,  which  are  lined  with  orchards  and  groves 
of  palm.     Over  all  extends  the  arch  of  a  glowing  sky. 

From  Bagdad  Madame  Pfeiffer  made  an  excursion  to 
the  ruins  of  Babylon.  They  consist  of  massive  fragments 
of  walls  and  columns,  lying  on  either  side  of  the 
Euphrates. 

On  the  17th  of  June  she  joined  a  caravan  which  was 
bound  for  Mosul,  a  journey  of  three  hundred  miles, 
occupying  from  twelve  to  fourteen  days,  and  lying  across 
a  desert  country  of  the  most  inhospitable  character. 
Madame  Pfeiffer's  experiences  on  this  journey  were  new 
and  interesting.  One  day  she  repaired  to  a  small  village 
in  search  of  food.     After  wandering  from  hut  to  hut,  she 


-242  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

•obtained  a  small  quantity  of  milk  and  three  eggs. 
These  she  laid  in  hot  ashes,  covering  them  completely ; 
rfilled  her  leathern  flask  from  the  Tigris,  and  thus  pro- 
vided regained  the  encampment  formed  by  the  caravan. 
^She  ate  her  eggs  and  drank  her  milk  with  an  appetite, 
which,  to  an  epicure,  would  have  been  a  surprise. 

The  manufacture  of  butter  at  this  village  was  con- 
•ducted  on  primitive  principles.  The  cream  was  poured 
linto  a  leathern  bottle,  and  rolled  about  on  the  ground 
until  consolidated  into  butter,  which  was  then  transferred 
-to  a  bottle  filled  with  water,  and  eventually  turned  out 
.as  white  as  snow. 

Next  day,  when  they  rested  during  the  heat,  the  guide 
•  of  the  caravan  endeavoured  to  procure  her  a  little 
^shelter  from  the  sun's  pitiless  glare  by  laying  a  small 
•cover  over  a  couple  of  poles  let  into  the  ground ;  but 
-so  small  was  the  area  thus  protected,  and  so  weak  the 
artificial  tent,  that  she  was  compelled  to  sit  immovably 
.in  one  position,  as  the  slightest  motion  would  have 
■  overthrown  it.  Shortly  afterwards,  when  she  wished  to 
^ine,  she  could  obtain  nothing  but  lukewarm  water, 
bread  so  hard  that  she  was  obliged  to  soak  it  before  it 
*was  eatable,  and  a  cucumber  without  salt  or  vinegar. 

At  a  village  near  Kerku  the  caravan  halted  for  ten 
days.  On  the  first  day  Madame  Pfeiffer's  patience  was 
■severely  tested ;  for  all  the  women  of  the  place  hastened 
to  examine  "  the  strange  woman."  First  they  inspected 
her  clothes,  and  next  wanted  to  take  off  her  turban ;  in 
nact.  iney  were  inquisitive  beyond  all  toleration.     At  last. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  24? 

^Madame  Pfeiffei  seized  one  of  them  by  the  arm,  and 
'turned  her  out  jf  her  room  with  so  much  promptitude 
'that  she  had  no  time  to  thmk  of  resistance.  By  the 
eloquence  of  gesture,  our  traveller  made  the  others 
understand  that,  unless  they  withdrew  at  once,  a  similarly 
-abrupt  dismissal  awaited  them.  She  then  drew  a  circle 
'round  her  place,  and  forbade  them  to  cross  it ;  a  prohibi- 
tion which  was  strictly  respected. 

She  had  next  to  settle  with  the  wife  of  her  guide,  who 
•had  besieged  her  the  whole  day,  and  incessantly  peti- 
tioned for  largesse.  Fortunately  her  husband  came  on 
•the  scene,  and  to  him  Madame  Pfeiffer  preferred  her 
•complaint,  threatening  to  leave  his  house  and  seek 
shelter  elsewhere,  well  knowing  that  the  Arabs  consider 
this  a  great  disgrace.  He  immediately  ordered  his  wife 
•to  desist,  and  the  traveller  was  at  peace.  "  I  always 
succeeded,"  says  Madame  Pfeiffer,  "  in  obtaining  my 
•own  will.  I  found  that  energy  and  boldness  influence  all 
people,  whether  Arabs,  Persians,  Bedouins,  or  others." 
It  was  this  strength  of  will  which  crowned  Madame 
Pfeiffer's  enterprises  with  success. 

Towards  evening,  she  says,  she  saw,  to  her  great 
•delight,  a  caldron  of  mutton  seething  on  the  fire.  For 
eight  days  she  had  eaten  nothmg  but  bread,  cucumber, 
-and  a  few  dates  \  she  had  a  great  craving,  therefore,  for 
a  hot  and  more  nutritious  meal.  But  her  appetite 
declined  when  the  style  of  cookery  was  forced  on  her 
notice.  The  old  woman,  her  guide's  mother,  threw 
several  handfuls  of  small  grain  and  a  large  quanfitv  of 


244  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

onions  into  a  pan  full  of  water  to  soften.  In  about, 
half  an  hour  she  thrust  her  dirty  hands  into  the  water^ 
and  mixed  the  whole  together,  now  and  then  taking  a 
mouthful,  and,  after  chewing  it,  spitting  it  back  again 
into  the  pan !  She  then  took  a  dirty  rag,  strained  off 
the  juice,  and  poured  it  over  the  flesh  in  the  caldron. 
Madame  PfeifFer  had  firmly  resolved  to  refuse  the  dish, 
but  when  it  was  ready  her  appetite  was  so  keen,  and  the 
smell  so  savoury,  that  her  resohition  gave  way,  and  she 
comforted  herself  with  the  reflection  that  she  must  oftea 
have  eaten  of  food  prepared  in  a  similar  manner.  What 
we  do  not  see,  it  is  easy  enough  to  tolerate. 

On  the  28th  of  June  the  caravan  reached  Erbil,. 
anciently  Arbela,  the  scene  of  one  of  Alexander  the- 
Great's  most  famous  victories.  Two  days  later  they 
crossed  the  great  river  Sab  upon  rafts  of  inflated  skins, 
fastened  together  with  poles,  and  covered  with  reeds^, 
canes,  and  planks.  Rapidly  traversing  the  Mesopo- 
tamian  wastes,  they  arrived  at  Mosul  on  the  ist  of  July, 
and  thence  Madame  Pfeiffer  proceeded  to  inspect  the 
ruins  of  Nineveh.  Her  description  of  them,  however, 
presents  no  points  of  interest  to  merit  quotation. 

A  caravan  being  about  to  start  for  Tabriz,  Madame- 
Ida  Pfeiffer  decided  that  she  would  join  it,  though 
warned  that  it  would  traverse  a  country  containing  not: 
a  single  European.  But,  as  we  have  seen,  she  was  a 
woman  who  knew  not  what  fear  was.  Nothing  could 
diveit  ner  from  a  fixed  purpose.     She  had  made  up  her 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  245 

mind  to  go  to  Persia,  and  to  Persia  she  would  go.  The 
caravan  set  out  on  the  8th  of  July,  and  next  day  crossed 
the  hills  that  intervene  between  Mesopotamia  and  Kur- 
distan. The  latter  country  has  never  enjoyed  a  good 
reputation  among  travellers,  and  Madame  Pfeiflfer's  expe- 
rience of  it  confirmed  its  evil  fame.  The  travellers  were 
crossing  a  recently  reaped  corn-field,  when  half-a-dozen 
Kurds,  armed  with  stout  cudgels,  sprang  out  fi^om  their 
hiding-place  among  the  sheaves,  and,  seizing  the  bridles, 
poured  out  a  volley  of  mingled  oaths  and  menaces.  One 
of  the  travellers  leaped  from  his  steed,  seized  his  assailant 
by  the  throat,  and,  holding  to  his  head  a  loaded  pistol, 
indicated  his  determination  to  blow  out  his  brains.  The 
effect  of  this  courageous  conduct  was  immediate;  the 
robbers  desisted  from  their  attack,  and  were  soon 
engaged  in  quite  a  friendly  conversation  with  those  whom 
they  had  intended  to  plunder.  At  last  they  pointed  out 
a  good  site  for  an  encampment,  receiving  in  return 
a  trifling  backshish,  collected  from  the  whole  caravan. 

A  few  days  later,  the  travellers,  having  started  at  two 
in  the  morning,  passed  into  a  sublime  mountain  valley, 
which  the  waters  of  a  copious  stream  had  cleft  through 
the  solid  rock.  A  narrow  stony  path  followed  the 
upward  course  of  the  stream.  The  moon  shone 
unclouded,  or  it  would  have  been  difficult  even  for  the 
well-trained  horses  of  the  caravan  to  have  kept  their 
footing  along  the  perilous  way,  encumbered  as  it  was 
with  fallen  masses  of  rock. 

Like  chamois,  however,  they  scrambled  up  the  steep 

16 


246  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

mountain  side,  and  saiely  carried  their  riders  round 
frightful  promontories  and  past  dangerous  and  dizzy- 
precipices.  So  wildly  romantic  was  the  scene,  with  its 
shifting  lights  and  shadows,  its  sudden  bursts  of  silvery 
radiance  where  the  valley  lay  open  to  the  moon,  and  its 
depths  of  darkness  in  many  a  sinuous  recess,  that  even 
Madame  Pfeiffer's  rude  companions  felt  the  influence  of 
its  strange  beauty ;  and,  as  they  rode  along,  not  a  sound 
was  heard  but  the  clatter  of  the  horses'  hoofs,  and  the 
fall  of  rolling  stones  into  the  chasm  below.  But  all  at 
once  thick  clouds  veiled  the  moon,  and  so  intense  a 
darkness  prevailed  that  the  travellers  could  scarcely 
discern  each  one  his  fellow.  The  leader  continually 
struck  fire  with  a  flint  that  the  sparks  might  give  his 
<:ompanions  some  indication  of  the  course.  This,  how- 
ever, proved  insufficient  guidance;  and  at  last,  as  the 
horses  began  to  miss  their  footing,  their  sole  chance  of 
safety  consisted  in  standing  still.  At  day-break,  however, 
a  grey  light  spread  over  the  scene,  and  the  travellers 
found  themselves  surrounded  by  a  ring  of  lofty  moun- 
tains, rising  one  above  the  other  in  grand  gradation,  and 
superbly  dominated  by  one  mighty,  snow-crowned, 
massive  summit. 

The  journey  was  resumed.  Soon  the  travellers 
became  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  path  was  sprinkled 
with  spots  of  blood.  At  last  they  came  to  a  place  where 
crimsoned  a  complete  pool ;  and  looking  down  into  the 
ravine,  they  could  see  two  human  bodies,  one  about  a 
hundred  feet  below  them,  the  other,  which  had  rolled 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  247 

farther,  half  hidden  by  a  projecting  crag.  They  were  glad 
to  leave  behind  them  this  wild  Aceldama. 

At  a  town  called  Ravandus,  Madame  Pfeiffer  had 
numerous  opportunities  of  observing  the  manners  and 
customs  of  the  Kurds.  What  she  saw  by  no  means 
prepossessed  her  in  their  favour ;  the  women  were  idle, 
ignorant,  and  squalid ;  the  men  worked  as  little  and 
robbed  as  much  as  they  could.  The  Kurds  practise 
polygamy ;  their  religion  is  simply  the  practice  of  a  few 
formalities  which  repetition  renders  meaningless.  The 
costume  of  the  wealthier  is  absolutely  Oriental,  but  that 
of  the  common  people  differs  in  some  particulars.  The 
men  wear  wide  linen  trousers,  and  over  them  a  shirt 
confined  round  the  waist  by  a  girdle,  with  a  sleeveless 
woollen  jacket  made  of  stuff  of  only  a  hand's-breadth, 
sewed  together.  Instead  of  white  trousers  some  affect 
brown,  but  these  are  by  no  means  picturesque ;  they 
look  like  sacks  with  two  holes  for  the  insertion  of  the 
feet — the  said  feet  being  encased  in  red  or  yellow  leather 
boots,  with  huge  iron  heels ;  or  in  shoes  of  coarse  white 
wool,  adorned  with  three  tassels.  The  turban  is  the 
universal  head-covering. 

The  women  don  loose  trousers,  and  red  or  yellow  iron- 
heeled  boots,  like  those  of  the  men;  but  over  all  they 
throw  a  long  blue  garment,  which,  if  not  tucked  up  under 
the  girdle,  would  depend  some  inches  below  the  ankles. 
A  large  blue  shawl  descends  below  the  knee.  Round 
their  heads  they  twist  black  shawls,  turban-wise,  or  they 


248  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

weaj  the  red  fez,  with  a  small  silk  handkerchief  wound 
about  it ;  and  on  the  top  of  this,  a  kind  of  wreath  made 
of  short  black  fringe,  worn  like  a  diadem,  but  leaving  the 
forehead  free.  The  hair  falls  in  narrow  braids  over  the 
shoulders,  and  from  the  turban  droops  a  heavy  silver 
chain.  As  a  head-dress  it  is  remarkably  effective  ;  and 
it  is  only  just  to  say  that  it  frequently  sets  off  really 
handsome  faces,  with  fine  features  and  glowing  eyes. 

In  the  course  of  her  wanderings  through  the  wild 
highlands  of  Persia,  Madame  Pfeiffer  came  to  Urumiydh, 
on  the  borders  of  the  salt  lake  of  that  name,  which,  in 
some  of  its  physical  features,  closely  resembles  the  Dead 
Sea.  Urumiy^h  is  a  place  of  some  celebrity,  for  it  gave 
birth  to  Zaravusthra  (or  Zoroaster),  the  preacher  of  a 
creed  of  considerable  moral  purity,  which  still  claims 
a  large  number  of  adherents  in  Asia.  Entering  a  more 
fertile  country,  she  reached  Tabriz  in  safety,  and 
rejoiced  to  find  herself  again  within  the  influence  of  law 
and  order.  Tabriz,  the  residence  of  a  viceroy,  is  a 
handsomely  built  town,  with  numerous  silk  and  leather 
manufactories ;  it  is  reputed  to  be  one  of  the  chief 
seats  of  Asiatic  commerce.  Its  streets  are  clean  and 
tolerably  broad ;  in  each  a  little  rivulet  is  carried  under- 
ground, with  openings  at  regular  intervals  giving  access 
to  the  water.  Of  the  houses  the  passer-by  sees  no  more 
than  is  seen  in  any  other  Oriental  town  :  lofty  windowless 
walls,  with  low  entrances  to  the  street,  while  the  inner 
front  looks  upon  open  courtyards,  which  bloom  witii 
trees  and  flowers,  and  usually  adjoin  a  pleasant  garden. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  249 

On  the  1 6th  of  August,  Madame  Pfeiffer  quitted 
Tabriz,  and  in  a  vehicle  drawn  by  post-horses  she  set 
out,  ^vith  one  attendant,  for  Natchivan.  At  Arax  she 
crossed  the  Russian  frontier.  Reaching  Natchivan  after 
an  uneventful  journey,  she  joined  a  caravan  bound  for 
Tiflis,  the  drivers  of  which  were  Tartars.  Of  the  latter 
she  remarks  that  they  do  not  live  so  frugally  as  the 
Arabs.  Every  evening  a  savoury  pilau  was  made  for 
their  enjoyment,  frequently  with  dried  grapes  or  plums. 

The  caravan  route  lay  through  the  large  fertile  valleys 
which  lie  at  the  base  of  Ararat.  Of  that  famous  and 
majestic  mountain,  which  lifts  its  wan  and  aged  brow 
some  16,000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  our  traveller  obtained 
a  noble  view.  Its  summit  is  cloven  into  two  peaks  ;  and 
in  the  hollow  between,  an  ancient  tradition  affirms  that 
Noah's  ark  rested  on  the  subsidence  of  the  Great  Flood. 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  a  town  called  Sidin,  Madame 
Pfeiffer  met  with  a  curious  adventure.  She  was  returning 
from  a  short  walk,  when  catching  the  sound  of 
approaching  post-horses,  she  paused  for  a  moment  to 
see  the  travellers,  who  consisted  of  a  Russian  seated  in 
an  open  car,  with  a  Cossack  carrying  a  musket  by  his 
side.  As  soon  as  the  vehicle  had  passed  she  resumed 
her  walk ;  when,  to  her  astonishment,  it  stopped  sud- 
denly, and  almost  at  the  same  moment  she  felt  a  strong 
grasp  on  her  arms.  It  was  the  Cossack,  who  endeav- 
oured to  drag  her  to  the  car.  She  struggled  with  him, 
and  pointing  to  the  caravan,  said  she  belonged  to  it; 
but  the  fellow  put  his  hand  on  her  mouth,  and  flung 


2<;o  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

her  into  the  car,  where  she  was  firmly  seized  by  the 
Russian.  Then  the  Cossack  sprang  in,  and  away  they 
went  at  a  smart  gallop.  The  whole  affair  was  the  work 
of  a  few  seconds ;  so  that  Madame  F/eiffer  could 
scarcely  tell  what  had  happened ;  and  as  the  man  stili 
held  her  tightly,  and  kept  her  mouth  covered  up,  she 
was  unable  to  give  an  alarm.  The  brave  woman,  how- 
ever, preserved  her  composure,  and  speedily  arrived  at 
the  conclusion  that  her  gallant  captors  had  mistaken 
her  for  some  dangerous  spy.  Uncovering  her  mouth,, 
they  began  to  question  her  closely  ;  and  Madame  Pfeiffer 
understood  Russian  sufficiently  to  be  able,  in  reply,  to» 
tell  them  her  name,  native  country,  and  her  object  in 
travelling.  This,  however,  did  not  satisfy  them,  and 
they  asked  for  her  passport,  which  she  could  not  show 
them,  as  it  was  in  her  portmanteau. 

At  length  they  reached  the  post-house.  Madame 
Pfeiffer  was  shown  into  a  room,  at  the  door  of  which 
the  Cossack  stationed  himself  with  his  musket.  She  was 
detained  all  night ;  but  the  next  morning,  having  fetched 
her  portmanteau,  they  examined  her  passport,  and  were 
then  good  enough  to  dismiss  her,  without  offering  any 
apology,  however,  for  their  shameful  treatment  of  her. 
To  such  discourtesies  travellers  in  Russian  territories  are 
too  often  exposed.  It  is  surprising  that  a  powerful 
government  should  stoop  to  so  much  craven  fear  and 
petty  suspicion. 

From  Tifiis  our  traveller  proceeded  across  Georgia  to 
Redutkald,  whence  she  made  her  way  to  Kertch,  on  the 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  251 

shore  of  the  Sea  of  Azov ;  and  thence  to  Sevastopol, 
destined  a  few  years  later  to  become  the  scene  of  a 
great  historic  struggle.  She  afterwards  reached  Odessa, 
one  of  the  great  European  granaries,  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Dniester  on  the  Euxine.  From  Odessa 
to  Constantinople  the  sea-distance  is  four  hundred  and 
twenty  miles.  She  made  but  a  brief  sojourn  in  the 
Turkish  capital.  Taking  the  steamer  to  Smyrna,  she 
passed  through  the  star-like  clusters  of  the  isles  of 
Greece — those  isles  "  where  burning  Sappho  loved  and 
sung ;"  and  from  Smyrna  she  hastened  to  Athens.  There 
she  trod,  indeed,  upon  "  hallowed  ground."  Every 
shattered  temple,  every  ruined  monument,  every  frag- 
ment of  arch  or  column,  recalled  to  her  some  brave  deed 
of  old,  or  some  illustrious  name  of  philosopher,  states- 
man, poet,  patriot,  enshrined  for  ever  in  the  world's  fond 
remembrance.  Madame  Pfeiffer  was  not  a  scholar,  but 
she  had  read  enough  to  feel  her  sympathies  awakened 
as  she  gazed  from  the  lofty  summit  of  the  Acropolis  on 
the  plains  of  Attica  and  the  waters  of  the  ^gean,  on 
Salamis  and  Marathon.  She  was  not  an  artist,  but 
she  had  a  feeling  for  the  beautiful ;  and  she  examined 
with  intense  delight  the  Parthenon,  the  Temple  of 
Theseus,  the  Olympian,  the  Tower  of  the  Winds,  and 
the  graceful  choragic  monument  of  Lysicrates.  These, 
however,  have  been  more  fitly  described  by  writers 
capable  of  doing  them  justice,  and  Madame  Pfeiffer's 
brief  and  commonplace  allusions  may  well  be  overlooked. 
From  Athens  to  Corinth,  and  from  Corinth  to  Corfu, 


252  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

and  thence  to  Trieste.  Our  traveller's  bold  enterpru^e 
was  completed  on  the  30th  of  October,  and  she  could 
honourably  boast  of  having  been  the  first  woman  to 
accomplish  the  circuit  of  the  globe.  She  had  been 
absent  from  Vienna  just  two  years  and  six  months,  and 
had  travelled  2,800  miles  by  land,  and  35,000  miles  by 
sea.  Such  an  achievement  necessarily  crowned  her  with 
glory ;  and  when  she  published  her  plain  and  unaffected 
narrative  of  '^  A  Woman's  Journey  Round  the  World," 
it  met  at  once  with  a  most  favourable  reception. 

At  first,  on  her  return  home,  she  spoke  of  her  travel- 
ling days  as  over,  and  represented  herself,  at  the  age  of 
fifty-one,  as  desirous  only  of  peace  and  repose.  But  her 
love  of  action,  her  craving  after  new  scenes,  her  thirst  for 
knowledge  could  not  long  be  repressed ;  and  as  she  felt 
herself  still  strong  and  healthy,  with  energies  as  potent 
as  ever,  she  resolved  on  a  second  circuit  of  the 
globe.  Her  funds  having  been  augmented  by  a  grant 
of  1,500  florins  from  the  Austrian  Government,  she 
quitted  Vienna  on  the  i8th  of  March,  1851,  proceeded 
to  London,  and  thence  to  Cape  Town,  where  she 
arrived  on  the  nth  of  August.  Her  original  intention 
was  to  penetrate  the  African  interior  as  far  as  Lake 
Ngami ;  but  eventually  she  resolved  on  exploring  the 
Eastern  Archipelago.  At  Sarawak,  the  British  settlement 
in  Borneo,  she  received  a  warm  welcome  from  Rajah  Sir 
James  Brooke,  a  man  of  heroic  temper  and  unusual 
capacities  for  command  and  organization.  As  soon  as 
she  could  complete  the  necessary  preparations,  she  boldly 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  253 

'plunged  into  the  very  heart  of  the  island — a  region 
-almost  unknown  to  Europeans.  This  was  the  most 
-daring  enterprise  of  her  life,  and  of  itself  stamps  her  as 
no  ordinary  woman — as,  in  truth,  a  woman  of  scarcely 
less  heroic  temper  than  the  boldest  adventurers  of  the 
other  sex.  To  endure  the  pains  and  perils  of  such  a 
journey  she  must  have  had,  not  only  a  remarkable 
physical  energy,  but  a  scarcely  less  remarkable  energy 
-of  mind.  Night  after  night  she  passed  in  the  depths  of 
the  vast  Bornean  forest,  a  little  rice  her  only  food — 
journeying  all  day  through  thickets,  which  lacerated  her 
feet ;  swimming  brooks  and  rivers  too  deep  to  be  forded ; 
recoiling  before  no  form  of  danger,  however  unexpected ; 
and  astonishing  the  very  savages  by  her  daring  and 
endurance.  She  equipped  herself  in  a  costume  of  her 
own  devising,  well  adapted  for  the  work  she  had  to 
do  j  and  protected  her  head  with  a  large  banana  leaf 
from  the  burning  rays  of  a  tropical  sun.  No  con- 
juncture, however  critical,  found  her  without  resources ; 
and  we  hesitate  not  to  say  that  in  the  whole  history  of 
'discovery  and  geographical  enterprise  there  is  no  more 
•wonderful  or  exciting  chapter  than  that  which  records 
Madame  Ida  Pfeiffer's  travels  in  the  interior  of  Borneo. 

We  owe  to  her  enterprise  an  interesting  account  of 
the  character  and  usages  of  the  Dyaks.  Their  ferocity 
of  disposition  is  proverbial  in  the  East.  It  is  said  that 
ivnen  a  Dyak  has  promised  a  head — a  human  head — 
to  the  woman  he  loves,  he  will  obtain  it  at  any  cost. 
Whether  he  strikes  down  friend  or  foe  he  cares  not,  so 


254  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

long  as  he  secures  the  ghastly  gift ;  and  his  eye  being  a&j 
sure  as  that  of  the  tiger,  his  arrow  never  misses  its  aim. 
When  we  remember  that  these  savages  are  cannibals,  that: 
they  had  never  before  seen  among  them  an  European, 
woman,    and    that  Ida   Pfeiifer  went  without  guard  or- 
guide,  we  begin  to  realize  the  full  extent  of  her  daring. 
But    boldness    is   always   the   best   policy :    this  plain- 
featured,   middle-aged  woman  commanded  the  respect: 
and  admiration  of  her  hosts,  and  went  from  encamp- 
ment to  encampment  in  entire  security. 

After  visiting  the  island  of  Celebes  she  repaired  to^ 
Sumatra,  which  is  inhabited   by  a  race  of  men   even 
more  sanguinary  than  the  Dyaks,  namely,  the  Battahs, 
who   slake  their  thirst   in  human   blood,  and  make  of 
anthropophagisra  a  "  fine  art  !  "     It  is  said  that  some  of 
the  tribes  purchase  slaves  on  purpose  to  devour  them, 
while,  as  a  matter  of  course,  prisoners  taken  in  battle  and. 
shipwrecked  seamen  fall  victims  to  their  cannibal  appetites. 
Many  voyagers  agree  in  asserting  that  they  also  deal  in. 
the  same  hideous  fashion  with  their  old  men,  who,  whenj 
they  cease  to  be  of  any  service  to  the  tribe,  are  deemed, 
unworthy  of  longer  life;   the  sons  themselves  become- 
the  executioners  of  their  fathers,  coolly  fastening  thenii 
to  a  tree  and  hacking  them  to  pieces,  without  showing, 
the  slightest  emotion  at  the  spectacle  of  their  agony. 

In  the  course  of  her  explorations  in  Sumatra,  she- 
found  herself,  on  one  occasion,  surrounded  by  a  tribe  of 
savages,  who  would  undoubtedly  have  treated  her  as  an^ 
enemy,  if  she  had  not  behaved  with  remarkable  presences 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER,  255. 

of  mind.  The  natives  who  accompanied  her  took  to- 
flight,  and  left  her  to  face  the  danger  alone.  "  These 
savages,"  she  says,  "were  six  feet  in  stature,  and  the 
natural  ugliness  of  their  features  was  increased  by  the- 
rage  that  contorted  them.  Their  large  mouths,  with, 
projecting  teeth,  resembled  the  jaw  of  a  wild  beast 
They  deafened  me  with  their  yells.  ...  I  did  not 
lose  my  head,  but  pretending  to  feel  perfectly  assured, 
I  seated  myself  on  a  stone  close  at  hand.  .  .  .  The 
gestures  of  the  savages  left  no  doubt  of  their  intentions ;. 
with  their  knives  they  simulated  the  action  of  cutting 
my  throat,  with  their  teeth  they  seemed  to  rend  my 
arms,  and  they  moved  up  and  down  their  jawbones  as  if 
my  flesh  were  already  in  their  mouths.  .  .  .  Rising^ 
I  went  straight  to  the  nearest  man,  and  striking  him 
familiarly  on  the  shoulder,  I  said,  with  a  smile,  half  in» 
Malay  and  half  in  Battah,  '  Come,  come,  you  will  never 
have  the  heart  to  kill  and  eat  a  woman,  and  an  old. 
woman  like  me,  whose  skin  is  harder  than  leather  ! ' "  A 
roar  of  laughter  greeted  this  courageous  speech,  and  the 
speaker  was  immediately  received  into  the  friendship  of 
her  savage  auditors,  who  overwhelmed  her  with  marks  of 
goodwill  and  admiration. 

Having  "  looked  in  "  at  Banda  and  Amboyna,  Madame 
Pfeiffer  quitted  the  Moluccas,  and  having  obtained  a 
gratuitous  passage  across  the  Pacific,  sailed  for  California. 
On  the  29th  of  September,  1853,  she  arrived  at  Sar* 
Francisco.  At  the  end  of  the  year  she  sailed  for  Callao, 
the  port  of  Lima,  with  the  design  of  crossing  the  Ancles^ 


•256  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

^nd  pushing  eastward,  through  the  interior  of  South 
America,  to  the  Brazilian  coast.  A  revolution  in  Peru 
•compelled  her,  however,  to  change  her  course,  and  she 
made  her  way  to  Ecuador,  which  served  as  a  starting- 
point  for  her  ascent  of  the  Cordilleras.  After  witnessing 
^n  eruption  of  the  volcano  of  Cotopaxi,  she  retraced  her 
steps  to  the  West  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Guayaquil 
-she  had  two  very  narrow  escapes — one  by  a  fall  from  her 
mule,  and  another  by  accidentally  falling  into  the  river 
•Guaya,  which  swarms  with  alligators.  In  no  part  of  the 
world  did  she  meet  with  so  little  sympathy  or  so  much 
■discourtesy  as  in  Spanish  America,  and  she  was  heartily 
.^lad  to  set  sail  for  Panama. 

Crossing  the  Isthmus  towards  the  close  of  May,  1854, 
•she  sailed  for  New  Orleans.  Thence  she  ascended  the 
majestic  but  muddy  Mississippi  to  Napoleon,  and  the 
Arkansas  to  Fort  Smith.  A  severe  attack  of  fever  de- 
tained her  for  several  days.  On  recovering  her  strength 
she  travelled  to  St.  Louis,  the  Falls  of  St.  Anthony, 
Chicago — which  was  then  beginning  to  justify  its  claim 
to  the  title  of  "  Queen  of  the  West " — and  the  vast 
inland  seas  of  Lakes  Superior,  Michigan,  Erie,  and 
Ontario.  After  a  rapid  visit  to  Canada,  she  recrossed 
the  frontier  of  the  United  States  ;  and  from  Boston 
proceeded  to  New  York  and  other  great  cities,  and  then 
•undertook  the  voyage  to  England,  where  she  arrived  on 
the  2ist  of  November,  1854.  The  narrative  of  her 
adventures  was  published  in  1856,  under  the  title  of 
•*'My  Second  Journey  Round  the  World." 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  257 

Tt  might  have  been  supposed  that,  at  the  age  of 
»rifty-nine,  this  female  Odysseus  would  have  rested 
•content  with  her  world-wanderings,  and  spent  the  few 
remaining  years  of  life  in  peace ;  but  her  restless  spirit 
•could  not  endure  inaction.  There  is  something  in  the 
nature  of  travel  to  stimulate  rather  than  satisfy  the 
-appetite,  and  it  does  not  seem  that  any  who  have  once 
entered  on  the  vocation  are  able  or  willing  to  withdraw 
themselves  from  it.  The  charm  of  perpetual  motion  is 
upon  them,  as  upon  that  unfortunate  Jew,  who,  bending 
'-beneath  the  weight  of  eighteen  hundred  years,  is  still 
supposed  to  be  roaming  over  the  face  of  the  earth. 

On  the  2 1  St  of  May,  1856,  she  once  more  took  up 
•her  pilgrim's  staff  Her  first  visits  were  made  to  the 
great  cities  of  Western  Europe — Berlin,  Amsterdam, 
Leyden,  Rotterdam,  Paris,  and  London.  In  each  the 
scientific  world  received  her  with  open  arms.  At  Paris 
she  was  specially  honoured  by  the  Societe  de  Geographie. 
At  a  public  reception  she  was  addressed  by  the  presi- 
dent, de  Jomard,  who,  after  briefly  enumerating  her 
I  titles  to  distinction,  said  : — "  Madame,  in  your  favour 
we  design  to  commit  an  irregularity  of  which  our  Society 
'is  proud :  we  name  you  an  honorary  member  by  the 
side  of  your  countrymen,  Humboldt  and  Karl  Ritter ; " 
and  recalling  a  famous  saying,  he  added,  "Nothing  is 
wanting  to  your  glory,  madame,  but  you  are  wanting 
to  ours." 

She  now  undertook — what  to  her  was  merely  a  brief 
tholiday-trip — the    voyage  to  the  Cape  of  Good   Hope. 


258  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

There  she  hesitated  for  a  while  in  what  direction  ihe 
should  turn  her  adventurous  steps  before  she  pushed 
forward  to  the  goal  on  which  she  had  fixed  her  aims  -- 
Madagascar.  At  length  she  decided  on  a  visit  to  tht 
Mauritius. 

In  the  scenery  of  this  rich  and  beautiful  island  she  saw 
much  to  admire.  Its  volcanic  mountains  are  character- 
ized by  the  boldest  and  most  picturesque  outlines.  Its. 
vegetation  witnesses  everywhere  to  Nature's  lavish  use 
of  her  materials  Each  deep  gorge  or  mountain-valle>" 
blooms  with  foliage;  the  slopes  are  hung  with  stately 
trees,  graceful  shrubs,  and  masses  of  creeping  and 
climbing  plants;  from  crag  to  crag  falls  the  silver  of 
miniature  cascades.  Madame  Pfeiffer  did  not  fail  to  visit 
the  sugar-cane  plantations,  which  cover  the  broad  and 
fertile  plains  of  Pamplimousse.  She  learned  that  the- 
sugar-cane  is  not  raised  from  seed,  but  that  pieces  of 
cane  are  planted.  The  first  cane  requires  eighteen 
months  to  ripen;  but  as,  meanwhile,  the  chief  stem 
throws  out  shoots,  each  of  the  succeeding  harvests  can  be 
gathered  in  at  intervals  of  twelve  months  :  hence  four 
crops  can  be  obtained  in  four  years  and  a  half.  After  the 
fourth  harvest,  the  field  must  be  cleared  completely  of 
the  cane.  If  the  land  be  virgin  soil,  on  which  no  former 
crop  has  been  raised,  fresh  slips  of  cane  may  be  planted 
immediately,  and  thus  eight  crops  secured  in  nine  years. 
But  if  such  be  not  the  case,  "  umbregades "  must  be 
planted ;  that  is,  a  leafy  plant,  growing  to  the  height  of 
eight  or  nine  feet,  the  leaves  of  which  continually  falling,. 


JIfADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  259 

decay,  anvi  fertilize  the  soil.  After  two  years  the  plants 
are  rootea  out,  ana  tne  ground  is  once  more  occupied  by 
a  sugar  plantation. 

When  tne  canes  are  ripe,  and  the  harvest  begins,  as 
naanv  canes  are  cut  down  every  day  as  can  be  pressed 
and  bulled  at  once.  I'he  cane  is  introduced  between 
two  rollers,  set  in  motion  by  steam  power,  and  pressed 
until  It  IS  quite  flat  and  dry ;  in  this  state  it  is  used  for 
fuel.  The  juice  is  strained  successively  into  six  pans,  of 
which  the  first  is  exposed  to  the  greatest  heat,  the  force 
of  tne  fire  oeing  diminished  gradually  under  each  of  the 
others.  In  the  last  pan  the  sugar  is  found  half  crystal- 
lized. It  IS  theii  deposited  on  great  wooden  tables  to 
cooi,  and  granulate  into  complete  crystals  of  about  the 
si/e  of  a  pin's  head.  Lastly  it  is  poured  into  wooden 
colanders,  to  filter  it  thoroughly  fi-om  the  molasses  still 
remaining.  The  whole  process  occupies  eight  or  ten 
days.     Sucn,  in  brief,  is  Madame  Pfeiffer's  explanation. 

Our  adventurous  lady — now  in  her  sixtieth  year — made 
an  excursion,  of  course,  to  Mont  Orgueil,  which  commands 
a  very  fine  view  of  the  island  scenery.  On  one  side  the 
high  ridge  of  the  Mont  Brabant,  which  is  linked  to  the 
mainland  only  by  a  narrow  neck  of  earth,  stretches  far 
out  into  the  shining  sea;  near  at  hand  rises  the  Pitou 
de  la  Riviere  Noire,  the  loftiest  summit  in  the  island — 
2,564  feet  In  another  direction  are  visible  the  green 
heights  of  the  Tamarin  and  the  Rempart;  in  a  fourth 
may  be  seen  the  three-headed  mountain  called  the  Trois 
Mammelles.     Contiguous  to  these  opens  a  deep  caldron, 

17 


26o  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

two  of  the  sides  of  which  have  broken  down  in  ruin,  while 
the  others  remain  erect  and  precipitous.  Besides  these, 
the  view  includes  the  Caps  de  Garde  du  Port  Louis  de 
\Iocca,  Le  Pouce,  with  its  narrow  peak  projecting  over 
the  plateau  like  a  thumb,  and  the  precipitous  Peter  Botte. 
Madame  Pfeiffer  also  paid  a  visit  to  the  Trou  de  Cerf, 
or  "  Stag's  Hole,"  a  crater  of  perfectly  regular  formation, 
brimful  of  bloom  and  foliage.  As  its  locality  is  indicated 
by  no  sign  or  landmark,  the  traveller  is  seized  with 
astonishment  on  suddenly  finding  it  lying  open  beneatK 
his  feet.  The  prospect  from  this  point  embraces  three- 
fourths  of  the  island ;  majestic  mountains  clothed  in 
virdn  forests  almost  to  their  very  crests;  wide-spread- 
ing plains,  green  with  the  sugar-cane  plantations;  rich 
veraure-ciad  valleys  where  the  shadows  drowsily  linger ; 
and  beyond,  and  ail  around,  the  dark  blue  shining  sea. 
wiih  a  fnnge  of  pearly  foam  indicating  the  broken 
outJme  ot  the  coast. 

It  was  on  the  25th  of  April,  1857,  that  Madame 
Pfeitfer  sailed  for  Madagascar,  and  on  the  last  day  of 
the  month  she  reached  the  port  of  Tamatav^.  Of  late 
years  Tamatav^  has  grown  into  a  place  of  much  com- 
mercial importance,  but  in  Madame  Pfeiffer's  time 
it  w«*«  but  a  poor,  though  a  very  large  village,  with 
between  4,000  and  5,000  inhabitants.  Obtaining  per- 
mission 10  pass  into  the  interior  of  the  island,  she 
penetrateQ  as  iar  as  Antananarivo,  or  "  City  of  a 
Thousand  Towers."  the  capital.     As  she  approached  it. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  ?6i 

she  could  see  it  picturesquely  planted  on  a  high  hill 
that  rose  almost  suddenly  out  of  the  broad  and  fertile 
inland  plain;  and  after  a  pleasant  journey  through  rich 
and  beautiful  scenery,  she  came  upon  the  suburbs,  which 
enclose  it  on  all  sides. 

At  first  the  suburbs  were  simply  villages ;  but  they 
have  gradually  expanded  until  they  have  touched  one 
another,  and  formed  a  united  aggregate.  Most  of  the 
houses  are  built  of  earth  or  clay ;  but  those  belonging  to 
the  city  itself  must,  by  royal  decree,  be  constructed  of 
planks,  or  at  least  of  bamboo.  They  are  all  of  a  larger 
size  than  the  dwellings  of  the  villagers  ;  are  much  cleaner, 
and  kept  in  better  condition.  The  roofs  are  very  high 
and  steep,  with  long  poles  reared  at  each  end  by  way  of 
ornament.  Many  of  the  houses,  and  sometimes  groups 
of  three  or  four  houses,  are  encircled  by  low  ramparts  of 
earth,  which,  apparently,  serve  no  other  purpose  tuan  lo 
separate  the  courtyards  from  the  neighbounng  tenements. 
The  streets  and  squares  are  all  very  irregularly  Duilc; 
the  houses  are  not  placed  in  rows,  but  m  clusters — some 
at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  others  on  its  slopes.  The  sumn.it 
is  occupied  by  the  royal  palace. 

When  Madame  Pfeiifer  visited  Madagascar,  its  sove- 
reign was  Queen  Ranavala,  a  woman  notorious  tor  iier 
blood-thirstiness,  her  antipathy  to  Europeans,  add  nei 
persecution  \ii  the  Christian  converts.  I'hat  fiom  mis 
feminine  tyrant  she  obtained  so  many  concessions — such 
as  permission  to  travel  about  tHe  isiana,  and  e»c*n 
admission  to  the  royal  presence,  would  seem  to  argue 


262  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVKT LER 

the  possession  of  some  faculty  of  fascination.  ner 
reception  by  the  Queen  was  not  without  interest. 

Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  Madaa^e 
Pfeiifer  was  conveyed  to  the  palace,  over  the  aooi  of 
which  a  great  gilded  eagle  expands  its  wings.  According 
to  rule,  in  stepping  across  the  threshold  the  visitor  put 
her  right  foot  foremost;  and  this  formula  she  also 
observed  on  entering,  through  a  second  gateway,  tfie 
spacious  courtyard  in  front  of  the  palace.  Here  tne 
Queen  was  visible,  having  her  seat  in  a  balcony  un  tne 
first  story,  and  Madame  Pfeiffer  and  her  attendants  stood 
in  a  row  in  the  courtyard  opposite  to  her.  Unaer  tne 
balcony  some  soldiers  were  going  through  various  evolu- 
tions, which  terminated,  comically  enough,  in  a  sudden 
lifting  up  of  the  right  foot  as  if  it  had  Deen  stung  by  a 
wasp. 

The  Queen  was  attired  in  a  wide  silk  simboo,  and 
wore  on  her  head  a  large  golden  crown.  She  sat  in  the 
shade,  but,  nevertheless,  an  ample  umbrella  of  crimson 
silk — throughout  the  East  a  sign  of  royal  dignity— was 
held  over  her  head.  She  was  of  rather  dark  complexion, 
strongly  and  even  sturdily  built,  and,  though  seveniy-five 
years  of  age,  remarkably  hale  and  active.  On  her  right 
stood  her  son,  Prince  Rakoto ;  on  her  left,  her  adopted 
son,  Prince  Ramboasalama.  Behind  her  were  gathered 
nephews,  nieces,  and  other  relatives,  and  the  dignitaries 
and  grandees  of  the  kingdom. 

The  minister  who  introduced  Madame  Pfeiffer  and 
her  companion — M.  Lambret,  a  French  adventurer,  who 


JI^AOAAfF  IDA   PFEIFFER.  263 

«ii  one  cKiie  playea  a  prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of 
M^aagascar — addiessed  a  snort  speech  to  the  Queen ; 
after  which  the  visitors  had  to  bow  thrice,  and  to  repeat 
ine  woras  **  Esaratsara  torabokoe "  (We  salute  you 
curaiaiiy;,  the  Queen  replying,  **  Esaratsara  "  (We  salute 
^ou;.  They  men  iumed  to  the  left  to  salute  King 
Raaamas  tomo,  wnicn  was  close  at  hand,  with  three 
siinnar  bows,  afterwards  taking  up  their  former  position 
Ui  hont  ot  tne  balcony,  and  making  three  additional 
ooeisances.  M.  Eambret  next  held  up  a  gold  piece  of 
•eighty  iraacs  vaiue,  and  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  the 
minister  who  nad  introduced  them.  This  gift,  which  is 
'presented  Dy  every  stranger,  is  called  *'  Monosina."  The 
•Queen  men  asked  M.  Lambret  if  he  wished  to  put  any 
question  to  her,  or  if  he  needed  anything,  and  also 
aaaressed  a  lew  words  to  Madame  Pfeiffer.  The 
ODeisances  and  greetings  were  then  resumed,  due 
leverence  was  paid  to  King  Radama's  monument,  and 
the  visitors,  as  they  retired,  were  again  cautioned  not  to 
put  tne  left  foot  first  over  the  threshold. 

Soon  afterwards.  Queen  Ranavala  gave  a  banquet  in 
honour  of  her  visitor,  and  invited — or,  perhaps,  we  should 
say  commanded — her  to  give  a  musical  performance 
before  all  her  court. 

•*  To-day,"  she  wTites  in  her  journal,  '*  I  have  had  the 
great  honour  to  show  my  talent,  or  rather  my  ignorance, 
on  the  piano  before  the  Queen.  In  my  youth  I  had 
Oeen  a  tolerable  musician,  but,  alas,  that  was  long  ago. 
For  thirty  years  I  had  forgotten  the  instrument     Who 


264  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

would  ever  have  thought  that  I  should  one  day  be 
Bummoned  to  perform  before  a  queen  and  her  court,  and 
at  tne  age  of  sixty,  when  I  fumbled  more  atrociously 
than  do  children  who  have  had  a  few  months'  lessons  ?  .  . 
With  great  difficulty  I  forced  my  old  stiff  fingers  to  run 
through  some  scales  and  exercises.  I  learned  a  few 
waltzes,  and  some  other  dance  airs,  and  thus  prepared, 
ventured  to  challenge  the  judgment  of  the  severe  Aris- 
tarcnuses  of  Madagascar. 

**  I  sat  down  at  the  piano,  and  began  to  play ;  but 
wnat  were  my  feelings  at  finding  it  so  out  of  order  that 
not  one  note  was  in  tune,  and  that  several  of  the  keys 
respondea  to  the  strongest  pressure  with  an  obstinate 
siience?  And  it  was  upon  such  an  instrument  I  was- 
to  penorin !  But  the  true  artist-genius  rises  above  all 
sucn  aitticulties,  and  electrified  by  the  thought  of  dis- 
playing m>  talent  before  a  public  of  such  enlightened 
amateurs,  1  set  to  work  to  accomplish  the  most  unpo- 
hsnea  rouiades  imaginable,  to  stamp  my  best  on  the 
reoeaious  keys,  and  to  play  sans  suite  ei  sans  raison. . .  As 
a  reward,  i  nad  tne  satisfaction  of  perceiving  that  my 
LJeui  was  generally  appreciated,  and  of  obtaining  her 
Majesty's  tnanKs.  The  same  day,  as  a  signal  mark  of 
her  gracious  lavour,  I  received  a  number  of  fowls  and  a 
Irt/ge  oasicetful  oi  eggs. ' 

unionunateiy,  during  Madame  Pfciffer's  sojourn  at 
i^ntanananvo,  a  conspiracy  was  termed  for  the  purpose  o* 
dethroning  the  tyrant  queen  Ranavala.  in  favour  of  the 


MADAME  IDA  PFEIFFER.  265 

next  heir,  Radama.  It  failed,  however,  and  those 
concerned  in  it  were  ruthlessly  punished.  The  Chris- 
tians, who  were  supposed  to  have  encouraged  and  abetted 
it,  were  now  exposed  to  Queen  Ranavala's  tempestuous 
wrath,  and  Madame  Pfeiffer  and  her  companions  found 
themselves  in  a  position  of  exceeding  peril  She  was 
thrown  into  prison,  and  it  seemed  impossible  that  she 
should  escape  with  her  life.  She  writes  : — "  To-day  was 
held  in  the  Queen's  palace  a  great  kabar,  which  lasted 
six  hours  and  was  very  stormy.  The  kabar  concerned 
us  Europeans,  and  met  to  decide  our  fate.  According 
to  the  ordinary  way  of  the  world,  nearly  all  our  friends, 
from  the  moment  that  they  saw  our  cause  lost,  aban- 
doned us,  and  the  majority,  to  avoid  all  suspicion  of 
having  had  a  share  in  the  conspiracy,  insisted  on  our 
condemnation  with  even  more  bitterness  than  our 
enemies  themselves.  That  we  deserved  the  penalty  of 
death  was  a  point  on  which  the  agreement  was  soon 
very  general ;  only  the  mode  in  which  we  were  to  be 
dispatched  furnished  the  matter  for  prolonged  discussion. 
Some  voted  for  our  public  execution  in  the  market- 
place; others  for  an  attack  by  night  on  our  house; 
othei-s,  again,  that  we  should  be  invited  to  a  banquet,  at 
which  we  might  either  be  poisoned,  or,  on  a  given  signal, 
massacred. 

"The  Queen  hesitated  between  these  different  propo- 
sals; but  she  would  certainly  have  adopted  and  carried  out 
one  of  them,  if  the  Prince  Rakoto  had  not  come  forward 
as  our  tutelary  genius.  He  protested  strongly  against  a  sen- 


266  WOMAN  AS  A  TEA  VELLER. 

tence  of  death.  He  implored  the  Queen  not  to  yield  to 
her  impulse  of  anger,  and  laid  special  stress  on  the  fact 
that  the  European  Powers  would  assuredly  not  allow  the 
murder  of  persons  so  considerable  as  we  were  to  pass 
unpunished.  Never,  I  am  told,  has  the  Prince  expressed 
his  opinion  before  the  Queen  in  so  lively  and  firm  a 
manner.  The  news  reached  us  through  a  few  rare  friends, 
who,  contrary  to  our  expectation,  had  remained  faithful 
to  us. 

"  Our  captivity  had  lasted  nearly  a  fortnight :  we  had 
passed  thirteen  long  days  in  the  most  painful  uncertainty 
as  to  our  fate,  expecting  every  moment  a  fatal  decision, 
and  trembling  day  and  night  at  the  slightest  sound.  It 
was  a  frightful,  a  terrible  time. 

"  This  morning  I  was  seated  at  my  desk.  I  had  just 
laid  aside  my  pen,  and  was  meditating  whether,  after  the 
last  kabar,  the  Queen  would  not  have  come  to  a  decision. 
All  at  once  I  heard  an  extraordinary  noise  in  the  court. 
I  was  about  to  leave  my  room,  the  windows  of  which 
looked  in  an  opposite  direction,  to  see  what  was  the 
matter,  when  Mons.  Laborde,  one  of  the  conspirators, 
came  to  inform  me  that  another  great  kabar  was  to 
be  held  in  the  court,  and  that  we  were  summoned  to  be 
present. 

"  We  went,  and  found  upwards  of  a  hundred  persons, 
judges  and  nobles  and  officers,  seated  in  a  large  semi- 
circle upon  chairs  and  benches,  and  some  upon  the 
ground.  Behind  them  was  drawn  up  a  detachment  of 
soldiers.     One  of  the  officers  received  us,  and  assigned 


,1 
MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  267 

us  places  in  front  of  the  judges.  The  latter  were  attired 
in  long  white  simboos;  their  eyes  were  fixed  upon  us 
with  a  sombre  and  ferocious  glare,  and  for  awhile  the 
silence  of  death  prevailed.  I  confess  that  at  first  I  felt 
somewhat  afraid,  and  I  whispered  to  M.  Laborde,  *I 
think  our  last  hour  has  arrived.'  He  replied,  *I  am 
prepared  for  everything.' " 

Happily,  the  balance  went  down  in  favour  of  mercy. 
Madame  Pfeiffer,  and  the  other  six  Europeans  then 
in  Antananarivo,  were  ordered  to  quit  the  capital  imme- 
diately. They  were  only  too  thankful  to  obey  the  order, 
-and  within  an  hour  were  on  their  way  to  Tamatave, 
escorted  by  seventy  Malagasy  soldiers.  They  had  good 
reason  to  congratulate  themselves  on  their  escape,  for 
on  the  very  morning  of  their  departure,  two  Christians 
had  been  put  to  death  with  the  most  horrible 
tortures. 

The  journey  to  Tamatavd  was  not  unattended  by 
dangers  and  difficulties ;  and  Madame  Pfeiffer,  who  had 
been  attacked  with  fever,  underwent  much  suffering.  No 
doubt  the  recent  mental  strain  had  enfeebled  her  nervous 
system,  and  rendered  her  more  liable  to  disease.  The 
escort  purposely  delayed  them  on  their  journey ;  so  that, 
instead  of  reaching  the  coast,  as  they  should  have  done, 
iin  eight  days,  the  time  actually  occupied  was  three-and- 
fifty.  As  the  road  traversed  a  low-lying  and  malarious 
•country,  the  consequences  of  such  a  delay  were  as  serious 
as  they  were  probably  meant  to  be.  In  the  unhealthiest 
spots,  moreover,  the  travellers  were  forced  to  linger  for  a 


f68  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

week  or  even  a  fortnight ;  and  frequently  when  Madame- 
Pfeiffer  was  in  agony  from  a  violent  access  of  fever,  the 
brutal  soldiers  would  drag  her  from  her  wretched  couch, 
and  compel  her  to  continue  the  journey. 

At  length,  on  the  12th  of  September,  she  arrived  at: 
Tamatave;  broken  down,  and  unutterably  weary  and. 
worn,  but  still  alive.  Ill  as  she  was,  she  hastened  to- 
embark  on  board  a  ship  that  was  on  the  point  of  sailing 
for  the  Mauriuus ;  and  reaching  that  pleasant  island  on- 
the  22nd,  met  with  a  warm  welcome  from  her  friends — to- 
whom,  indeed,  she  was  as  one  who  had  been  dead  and. 
was  alive  again. 

The  suspense,  the  long  journey,  the  combined  mental 
and  physical  sufferings  which  she  had  undergone,  and 
the  ravages  of  fever,  reduced  her  to  a  condition  of  such  > 
weakness  that,  at  one  time,  her  recovery  seemed  im- 
possible. But  careful  watching  and  nursing  warded  off 
the  enemy;  and  on  her  sixtieth  birthday,  October  14th,- 
the  doctors  pronounced  her  out  of  danger.  But  a  fatal 
blow  had  been  given  to  her  constitution ;  the  fever- 
became  less  frequent  and  less  violent  in  its  attacks,  but 
never  wholly  left  her.  Her  mind,  however,  recovered  its> 
elasticity,  and  with  its  elasticity,  its  old  restlessness  ;  and. 
shii  once  more  began  to  project  fresh  schemes  of  travel. 
All  her  preparations  were  complete  for  a  voyage  tO 
Australia,  when  a  return  of  her  disease,  in  February,  1858,.. 
compelled  her  to  give  up  the  idea  and  to  direct  her  steps- 
homeward. 


MADAME  IDA   PFEIFFER.  itf^ 

\x\  the  month  of  June  slie  reached  London.  After  a 
fr.w  weeKs'  stay  sne  proceeded  to  Berlin. 

Her  strengtn,  formerlj  exceptional,  was  now  rapidly 
declinine ;  though  at  first  she  seemed  unconscious  of  the 
change,  or  regarded  it  as  only  temporary,  and  displayed 
hc;r  characteristic  impatience  of  repose.  But  about 
September  she  evinced  a  keen  anxiety  to  return  home ;. 
and  her  friends  perceived  that  the  conviction  ol 
aoDroaching  death  was  at  the  bottom  of  this  anxiety. 
Growing  rapidly  feeble,  sne  was  conveyed  to  Vienna,  to- 
the  nouse  of  her  brother,  Charles  Reyer ;  and,  for  a  few 
days,  it  seemed  as  n"  tiie  influence  of  her  native  air  would 
act  as  a  restorative.  The  improvement,  however,  did 
not  last,  and  her  malady  (cancel  of  the  Hver)  returned 
with  increased  violence.  During  the  last  days  of  her 
life,  opiates  were  adm mistered  to  relieve  her  physical 
pain ;  and  in  trie  night  between  the  27th  and  the  28th 
o'  C  ctober,  she  passed  away  peacefrlly,  almost  as  one 
i^'ho  sleeps. 


igtSWiiS 


MADAME   DE   BOURBOULON. 

WE  must  not  omit  from  our  chronicle  of  female 
travellers  the  name  of  Madame  Catherine  de 
Bourboulon.  Of  her  biography  we  know  no  more  than 
cnat,  a  Scotchwoman  by  birth,  she  married  a  French 
diplomatist,  who,  in  i860,  was  serving  the  State  as 
French   ambassador   to   the  Court  of  Pekin. 


In  the  month  of  August,  i860,  she  was  temporarily 
residinp  at  Shanghai.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  the  Chmese  people  thought  of  this  handsome  and 
self-possessed  lady  ;  unaccustomed  as  they  were  and  are 
to  visits  from  European  women,  and  unfamiliar  as  they 
were  and  are  with  the  idea  that  a  person  of  the  grand 
mon/fe  in  nowise  compromises  her  dignity  by  travelling 
about  as  freely  and  walking  as  readily  as  servants  and 
females  of  the  lower  classes.  "To  see  ourselves  as 
otners  see  us ''  is  always  instructive  and  interesting ;  and 
a  sketcn  of  Madame  de  Bourboulon  by  the  Chinese 
would  not  be  less  valuable  than  a  sketch  of  the  Chinese 
by  Madam-"  de  Bourboulon. 

270 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  271 

Fortune  ha  1  not  been  kind  to  Madame  de  Bourboulon 
in  throwing  her  into  Shanghai  during  the  great  Taiping 
conspiracy,  and  compe  ling  her  to  be  an  eye-witness  of 
the  crimes  which  sullied  it.  Beneath  her  windows  were 
carried  every  day  the  dead  bodies  of  the  poor  creatures 
massacred  by  the  Taipings,  and  she  followed  with  re- 
luctant gaze  these  sad  *'  waifs  and  strays  "  as  the  river 
conveyed  them  seawards. 

Though  her  health  was  not  good,  she  hastened,  on 
the  conclusion  of  peace,  to  follow  her  husband  to  Pekin. 
From  Shanghai  to  the  Gulf  of  Petchi-li,  into  which  the 
Peiho  empties  its  waters,  the  distance  is  two  hundred 
leagues.  Our  traveller  embarked  on  board  the  steam 
despatch-boat  Fi-lung^  which  was  escorted  by  a  man-of-war 
brig.  On  crossing  the  river-bar,  she  saw  before  her  the 
celebrated  Taku  forts,  and  higher  up  the  river  the  to\^  n 
of  Pehtang,  with  immense  plains  of  sorghum,  maize, 
and  millet  spreading  as  far  as  the  eye  could  see. 

On  the  1 2th  of  November  she  arrived  at  Tien-tsin.  The 
French  legation  was  established  in  a  rich  yamoun,  which, 
under  the  presiding  genius  of  Madame  de  Bourboulon, 
soon  become  the  highly  recherche  centre  of  European 
society.  There,  Chinese  art  displayed  all  its  marvels  of  de- 
sign and  workmanship;  the  colours  of  the  rainbow  glittered 
everjnvhere;  the  walls  were  emblazoned  with  pleasant 
landscapes,  azure  seas,  transparent  lakes,  shadowy  forests, 
an  imperial  hunting  party,  with  antelopes  and  roebucks 
flying  before  the  loud-mouthed  hounds  ;  in  a  word,  with 
all   the   delights   of  a   Chinese   earthly  paradise.      But 


372  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Madame  de  Bourboulon  did  not  confine  herself  to 
social  pleasures;  her  heart  and  hand  were  ever  ready 
for  charitable  labours,  and  the  Chinese  poor  had  ample 
occasion  to  acknowledge  her  beneficence.  Among  other 
works  of  mercy,  she  adopted  a  young  orphan  girl,  of 
whom  she  says : — "  My  little  companion  eats  well  and 
sleeps  well.  She  is  fiill  of  mirth,  and  seems  neither  to 
remember  nor  to  care  for  the  terrible  catastrophe  which 
•separated  her  from  her  parents,  massacred  at  the  capture 
of  Pehtang.  Her  feet  are  not  yet  completely  deformed  ; 
however,  when  we  remove  the  bandages  which  compress 
them,  she  does  not  forget  to  replace  them  at  night.  It 
is  not  only  in  China  that  coquetry  or  fashion  stimulates 
its  victims  to  torture  and  disfigure  God's  handiwork ; 
the  unnaturally  small  feet  of  the  Chinese  women  are 
at  least  not  more  injurious  or  unsightly  than  the  un 
naturally  small  waists  of  the  ladies  of  Europe ! " 

What  the  Chinese  think  of  their  women  may  be 
inferred  from  a  characteristic  incident,  of  which  Madame 
de  Bourboulon  is  the  narrator. 

The  cook  of  the  embassy,  Ky-tsin,  was  a  man  with 
more  years  than  gallantry.  One  day  he  went  to  see  his 
wives  and  children,  who  resided  at  some  distance ;  on 
his  return,  Madame  de  Bourboulon  put  some  questions 
to  him  respecting  his  family.  "  The  wives,"  he  replied, 
in  his  bad  French,  and  with  an  air  of  sovereign  con- 
tempt, ^^pas  bon^  pas  bon,  bambou^  bambou  /"  The  stick 
•seems  to  be  the  only,  or  at  least  the  favourite,  argument 
of  the  Chinese  in  their  dealings  with  the  other  sex  ;  and 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON,  I'j'^ 

in  this  contempt  for  women  we  shall  probably  find  the 
cause  of  the  moral  rottenness  of  the  Celestial  Empire. 

The  winter  of  1 860-61  Madame  de  Bourboulon  spent 
quietly  at  Tien-tsin,  her  health  not  permitting  her,  in 
such  rigorous  weather,  to  make  the  journey  to  Pekin ; 
but  on  the  22nd  of  March  the  whole  legation  set  out  for 
the  Chinese  capital,  Madame  de  Bourboulon  travelling 
in  a  litter,  attended  by  her  physician.  Fortunately,  the 
change  of  air  and  scene,  and  the  easy  movement  gradu- 
ally restored  her  physical  energies.  From  Tien-tsin  to 
Pekin  the  distance  is  about  thirty  leagues.  On  the  road 
lies  Tchang-kia-wang,  the  scene  of  the  treacherous  outrage 
in  1858  on  the  French  and  English  bearers  of  truce; 
and  almost  at  the  gates  of  Pekin,  the  great  town  of 
Tung-tcheou  and  the  famous  bridge  of  Palikao,  where, 
on  the  2 1  St  of  September,  i860,  the  Anglo-French  array 
defeated  25,000  Tartar  horsemea  This  bridge,  a  curious 
work  of  art,  measures  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in 
length  and  thirty  in  breadth;  the  marble  balustrades 
are  skilfully  carved,  and  surmounted  by  marble  lions  in 
the  Chinese  taste. 

On  arriving  at  Pekin  the  French  embassy  was  in- 
stalled in  the  Tartar  quarter.  Five  months  later  the 
revolution  broke  out  which  placed  Prince  Kung  in 
power.  The  prince  was  well-disposed  towards  Euro- 
peans, and  under  his  rule  Madame  de  Bourboulon  was 
able  to  traverse  Pekin  without  fear.  We  subjoin  some 
extracts  from  her  journals  • — 

•*  1   set   out   or.   bv^rseback   this  morning,"  she  says, 

iS 


274  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

"  accompanied  by  Sir  Frederick  Bruce  and  my  husband, 
to  make  a  tour  of  the  Chinese  town ;  our  escort  consisted 
only  of  four  European  horsemen  and  two  Ting-tchai. 
We  arrived  at  a  populous  carrefour,  which  derived  a 
peculiar  character  from  the  large  numbers  of  country 
people  who  fiock  there  to  dispose  of  all  kinds  of  pro- 
visions, but  particularly,  game  and  vegetables;  heaps 
of  cabbages  and  onions  rise  almost  to  the  height  of  the 
doors  of  the  houses. 

"  The  peasants,  seated  on  the  ground,  smoke  their 
pipes  in  peace,  while  the  aged  mules  and  bare-skinned 
asses,  which  have  conveyed  their  wares,  wander  about 
the  market-place,  gleaning  here  and  there  some  vegetable 
refuse.  At  every  step  the  townsfolk,  with  indifferent 
bearing,  and  armed  with  a  fan  to  protect  their  wan  and 
powdered  complexion,  jostle  against  the  robust  copper- 
coloured  country  people,  whose  feet  are  thrust  into 
sandals,  and  their  heads  covered  with  large  straw  hats. 
Not  knowing  how  to  guide  our  horses  through  the  midst 
of  this  confused  mob,  we  gained  the  precincts  of  the 
police  pavilion  in  the  hope  of  enjoying  a  little  more 
tranquillity. 

"  We  had  been  there  a  few  moments  only,  when  my 
horse  showed  a  determined  unwillingness  to  remain. 
Evidently  something  had  frightened  him.  I  raised  my 
head  mechanically,  and  thought  I  should  have  fainted 
before  the  horrible  spectacle  which  struck  my  eyes- 
Behind  us,  close  at  hand,  was  a  row  of  posts  to  whim 
vere  fixed  cross-beams  of  wood,  and  in  each  cage  were 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  275 

death's  heads,  which  stared  at  me  with  fixed,  wide-open 
€yes,  their  jaws  dislocated  with  frightful  grimaces,  their 
teeth  set  convulsively  by  the  agony  of  the  last  moment, 
and  the  blood  rolling  drop  by  drop  from  their  freshly 
severed  necks  ! 

*'  In  a  second  we  had  spurred  our  horses  to  the  gallop 
to  get  out  of  sight  of  this  hideous  charnel-house,  of 
which  I  long  continued  to  think  in  my  sleepless  nights, 

**  Turning  to  the  left,  we  entered  a  street  which  I  will 
•call,  in  allusion  to  the  trade  of  its  inhabitants,  the 
Toymen's.  .  .  .  But.  what  means  this  noisy  music,  this 
charivari  of  flutes  and  trumpets,  drums,  and  stringed 
instruments  ?  It  is  a  funeral  ceremony,  and  yonder  is 
the  door  of  the  defunct,  and  in  front  of  it  the  Society  of 
Funerals  (there  is  such  an  one  at  Pekin)  has  raised  a 
triumphal  arch,  consisting  of  a  wooden  framework, 
covered  with  old  mats  and  pieces  of  stuffs.  The  family 
has  stationed  a  band  at  the  door  to  proclaim  its  grief 
by  rending  the  ears  of  the  passers-by. 

"We  quicken  our  steps  in  order  to  avoid  being 
delayed  in  the  middle  of  the  interminable  procession. 
The  gala-day  in  a  Chinaman's  life  is  the  day  of  his  death. 
He  economizes,  he  deprives  himself  of  all  the  comforts 
of  life,  he  labours  without  rest  or  intermission,  that  he 
may  have  a  fine  funeral ! 

"  We  do  not  get  out  of  this  accursed  street !  Here 
another  large  crowd  bars  our  passage ;  some  proclama- 
tions and  notices  have  just  been  placarded  on  the  door 
of  the  chief  of  the  district  police ;    people  are  reading 


276  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

them  aloud  ;  some  declaim  them  in  a  tone  of  bombast ; 
while  a  thousand  commentaries,  more  satirical  than  the 
text,  are  uttered  amidst  loud  bursts  of  laughter. 

"  This  liberty  of  mockery,  pasquinade,  and  caricature 
at  the  expense  of  the  mandarins  is  one  of  the  most 
original  sides  of  Chinese  manners. 

"A  band  of  blind  beggars,  in  a  costume  more  than 
light,  pass  along,  hand  in  hand ;  then  an  itinerant  smith, 
a  barber  al  fresco^  and  a  cheap  restaurateur,  simul- 
taneously ply  their  different  trades  surrounded  by  their 
customers, 

**  We  dismounted  from  our  horses,  and  by  a  covered 
passage  or  arcade  proceeded  on  foot  to  the  legation. 
This  passage,  much  favoured  by  vendors  of  bric-a-brac^ 
is  simply  a  dark  lane,  550  to  600  feet  long,  where  two 
people  can  hardly  walk  abreast.  There  are  no  proper 
shops  here,  but  collections  of  old  planks,  united  anyhow, 
and  supported  by  piles  of  merchandise  of  all  kinds, 
vases,  porcelain,  bronzes,  arms,  old  clothes,  pipes ;  from 
the  whole  proceeds  a  foetid  and  insupportable  odour, 
tempered  by  the  thick  pungent  smoke  of  lamps  fed  with 
rice-oil. 

"  The  reader  may  judge  with  what  pleasure  we  regained 
the  pure  air,  the  blue  sky,  and  all  the  comfortable 
appliances  of  our  quarters  at  Tsing-kong-fou." 

Having  made  the  journey  from  China  to  Europe  fiv* 
times  by  sea,  Madame  de  Bourboulon  and  her  husbarxd 
lesolved    that    their    sixth   should    be   by  land,   being 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  277 

desirous  of  rendering  some  direct  service  to  science  by 
penetrating  into  regions  of  which  little  was  known. 
This  overland  route,  as  they  foresaw,  would  involve 
them  in  many  difficulties,  fatigues,  and  hardships.  It 
would  impose  on  them  a  journey  of  six  thousand  miles, 
in  the  midst  of  half-savage  populations,  and  over  steppes 
and  deserts  virtually  pathless ;  they  would  have  to 
climb  steep  mountain-sides,  to  ford  broad  rivers ;  and, 
finally,  to  sleep  under  no  better  roof  than  that  of  a 
tent,  and  to  live  on  milk,  butter,  and  sea-biscuit  for 
several  months.  Madame  de  Baluseck,  wife  of  the 
Russian  minister  at  Pekin,  had  already  accomplished 
this  journey.  Madame  de  Bourboulon  felt  capable  of 
an  equal  amount  of  courage,  and  though  accustomed  to 
live  amid  all  the  luxuries  and  comforts  of  European 
civilization,  desired  to  encounter  these  privations,  and 
to  brave  these  perils. 

Prince  Kung,  regent  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  promised 
the  travellers  full  security  as  far  as  the  borders.  He 
did  more ;  for  he  attached  to  their  train  some  man- 
darins of  high  rank  to  ensure  the  execution  of  his  orders. 
A  fortnight  before  the  day  fixed  for  departure,  a 
caravan  of  camels  was  despatched  to  Kiakhta,  on  the 
Russian  frontier,  with  wine,  rice,  and  all  kinds  of 
provisions,  intended  to  replace  the  supplies  which  would 
necessarily  be  exliausted  during  the  transit  of  Mongolia. 

A  captain  of  engineers,  M.  Bouvier,  superintended 
the  construction  of  some  vehicles  of  transport,  light 
enough  to  be  drawn  by  the  nomad  horsemen,  and  vet 


278  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

solid  enough  to  bear  the  accidents  of  travel  in  the 
desert  Bread,  rice,  biscuit,  coffee,  tea,  wine,  liqueurs, 
all  kinds  of  clothing,  preserved  meats  and  vegetables, 
were  carefully  packed  up  and  stowed  away  in  these 
carts,  which  were  sent  forward,  three  days  in  advance, 
to  Kalgan,  a  frontier  town  of  Mongolia.  And  all  these 
preparations  being  completed,  and  every  precaution 
taken,  the  17th  of  May  was  appointed  as  the  day  o> 
departure. 

Thenceforth,  and  throughout  the  journey,  Madame 
de  Bourboulon  adopted  a  masculine  costume — that  is,, 
a  vest  of  grey  cloth,  with  velvet  trimmings,  loose  panta- 
loons of  blue  stuff,  spurred  boots,  and  at  need  a 
Mongolian  cloak  with  a  double  hood  of  furs.  She 
mounted  her  favourite  horse,  which  she  had  taken  with 
her  to  Pekin,  and  it  had  been  her  companion  in  all  her 
excursions  in  the  city  and  the  surrounding  country. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  everbody  was  assembled 
in  the  court  of  the  yamoun  of  the  French  legation.  Sir 
Frederick  Bruce,  the  English  minister;  Mr.  Wade,  the 
secretary  to  the  English  legation ;  M.  Treves,  a  French 
naval  lieutenant,  and  some  young  French  interpreters 
were  present. 

Two  Chinese  mandarins — one  with  the  red  button^ 
the  other,  his  inferior  in  rank,  with  the  white — gravely 
awaited  the  moment  of  departure  to  escort  the  travellers 
as  far  as  Kalgan,  and  to  take  care  that,  upon  requi- 
sition being  made,  they  were  provided  with  everything 
necessary  to  their  comfort     Numerous  Tching-tai,  the 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  279 

official  messengers  of  the  legations,  and  other  indigenous 
domestics,  crowded  the  court,  gravely  mounted  upon 
foundered  broken-down  hacks,  their  knees  raised  up  to 
their  elbows,  and  their  hands  clutching  at  the  mane  of 
their  Rosinante,  like  apes  astride  of  dogs  in  the  arena 
of  the  circus.  A  couple  of  litters,  carried  by  mules, 
were  also  prepared;  one  was  intended  for  Madame  de 
Bourboulon,  in  case  of  need,  the  other  for  the  conveyance 
of  five  charming  little  Chinese  dogs  which  she  hoped  to 
transport  to  Europe.  At  length  the  mandarin  of  the 
red  button  came  to  take  the  ambassador's  orders,  and 
gave  the  signal  of  departure. 

At  this  moment  the  air  resounded  with  noisy 
detonations  :  fusees,  serpents,  and  petards  exploded  in 
all  directions —at  the  gate,  in  the  gardens,  even  upon 
the  walls  of  the  legation.  Great  confusion  followed,  as 
no  one  was  prepared  for  this  point-blank  politeness, 
so  mysteriously  organized  by  the  Chinese  servants.  In 
China  nothing  takes  place  without  a  display  of  fire- 
works. About  an  hour  was  spent  in  reorganizing  the 
caravan.  Meanwhile,  Madame  de  Bourboulon,  whose 
frightened  horse  had  carried  her  through  the  town, 
waited  in  a  great  open  space  some  distance  off.  It  was 
the  first  time,  she  says,  that  she  had  been  alone  in  the 
midst  of  that  great  town.  She  had  succeeded  in  pulling 
up  her  horse  near  a  pagoda,  which  she  did  not  know, 
because  she  had  never  visited  that  quarter  of  Pekin; 
her  masculine  garb  attracted  curiosity,  and  she  was 
speedily  surrounded  by  an  immense  crowd.     Though  its 


28o  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

demeanour  towards  her  was  peaceable  and  respectful, 
she  found  the  time  very  long,  and  it  was  with  intense 
satisfaction  she  rejoined  the  cavalcade,  the  members  of 
which  had  begun  to  feel  alarmed  at  her  absence. 

The  whole  company  being  once  more  reunited,  they 
passed  the  walled  enclosure  of  the  great  city,  garrisoned 
by  a  body  of  the  so-called  "  Imperial  Tigers,"  and 
entered  the  northern  suburb. 

The  great  road  of  Mongolia  is  lined  on  both  sides  with 
pagodas,  houses,  and  a  host  of  small  wayside  pubHc  inns, 
painted  with  stripes  of  red,  green,  and  blue,  and  sur- 
mounted by  the  most  attractive  signs.  There  is  a 
constant  succession  of  caravans  of  camels,  directed  by 
Mongols,  Turcomans,  Tibetans;  of  troops  of  mules, 
with  clinking  bells,  bringing  salt  from  Setchouan  or  tea 
from  Hou-pai ;  and  of  immense  herds  of  horned  cattle, 
horses,  and  sheep,  in  charge  of  the  dexterous  horsemen 
of  the  Tchakar,  who  keep  them  together  by  the  utter- 
ance of  loud  guttural  cries,  and  by  dealing  them  smart 
cuts  with  their  long  whips. 

About  one  hour  after  noon,  the  caravan  arrived  at 
Sha-ho,  a  village  situated  between  the  two  arms  of  a 
river  of  the  same  name  (which  means  "  the  river  of 
sand").  Madame  de  Bourboulon  thus  describes  the 
hospitable  reception  given  to  the  travellers  : — 

"We  knocked  at  the  door  of  a  tolerably  spacious 
house,  situated  near  the  entrance  to  the  village  :  it  was  an 
elementary  school ;  we  could  hear  the  nasal  drone  of  the 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  281 

•children  repeating  their  lessons.  The  schoolmaster,  a 
-crabbed  Chinaman,  scared  by  my  presence,  placed  him- 
-self  on  the  threshold,  and  looked  as  if  he  would  not 
-allow  me  to  enter.  But  at  the  explanations  made  in 
good  Chinese  by  Mr.  Wade,  the  surly  old  fellow,  under- 
going a  sudden  metamorphosis,  bent  his  lean  spine  in 
two,  and  ushered  me,  with  many  forced  obeisances,  into 
his  wives'  room.  There,  before  I  had  time  to  recollect 
myself,  these  ladies  carried  me  off  by  force  of  arms,  and 
installed  me  upon  a  kang  or  couch,  where  I  had  scarcely 
-stretched  my  limbs  before  I  was  offered  the  inevitable 
ttea.  I  was  gradually  passing  into  a  delightful  dizziness, 
when  a  disquieting  thought  suddenly  restored  all  my 
energy  :  I  was  lying  on  a  heap  of  rags  and  tatters  of  all 
colours,  and  certainly  the  kang  possessed  other  inhabit- 
ants than  myself  I  immediately  arose,  in  spite  of  the 
protestations  of  my  Chinese  hostesses,  and  took  a  seat 
'in  the  courtyard  under  the  galleries.  When  I  was  a 
'little  rested,  I  seated  myself  in  my  litter,  and  about 
half-past  six  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  the  town  of 
Tchaing-ping-tchan." 

On  the  following  day  our  travellers  turned  aside  to  visit 
the  famous  sepulchre  of  the  Mings — a  vast  collection  of 
monuments,  which  the  Chinese  regard  as  one  of  the  finest 
-specimens  of  the  art  of  the  seventeenth  century — that  is,  the 
seventeenth  century  of  their  chronology.  And,  first,  there 
are  gigantic  monoliths  crowned  with  twelve  stones  placed 
perpendicularly,  and  surmounted  by  five  roofs  in  varnished 
and  gilded  tiles;   next,  a    monumental  triumphal  arch 


282  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

in  white  marble,  with  three  immense  gateways ;  throughj, 
the  central  one  may  be  seen  a  double  row  of  gigantic- 
monsters  in  enamelled  stone,  painted  in  dazzling  colours ; . 
finally,  you  pass  into  an  enclosure  with  a  gigantic  tortoise  • 
in  front  of  it,  bearing  on  its   back  a   marble   obelisk 
covered  with  inscriptions.     At  the  time  of  Madame  de 
Bourboulon's  visit    the  entrance  was  closed,  and  while- 
the  Ting-tchai  went  in  search  of  the  guardians,  she  and 
her  companions  dismounted,  seated  themselves  on  the  • 
greensward,  in  the  shadow  of  some  colossal  larches,  and 
enjoyed  a  pleasant  repast,  the  sepulchral  stones  serving, 
as  tables. 

"  *  Oh,'  she  exclaims,  *  ye  old  emperors  of  the  ancient/ 
dynasties,  if  any  of  your  seers  could  but  have  told  you. 
that  one  day  the  barbarians  of  the  remote  West,  whose 
despised  name  had  scarcely  reached   your  ears,  would 
come  to  disturb  the  peace  of  your  manes  with  the  clink-- 
ing  of  their  glasses  and  the  report  of  their  champagne 
corks!'  ....  But  at  length  the  keys  are  turned  in  the- 
rusty  locks,  the  guardian  of  the  first  enclosure  offers  us  tea, . 
and  we  distribute  some  money  among  the  attendants.  .  .  . 
In  China,  perhaps  more  even  than  in  Europe,  this  is  ani 
inevitable  formula  :  the  famous  principle  of  nothing  for 
nothing  must  have  been  invented  in  the  Celestial  Empire. 
Out  of  respect,  or  for  some  other  reason,  the  guardians . 
left  us  free  to  go  and  come  at   will,  dispensing  with   the 
labour  of  following  us.     At  first  we  traversed  a  spacious . 
square   court,    paved   with    white  marble,   planted  with 
yews  and  cypresses,  cut  into  shapes  as  at  Versailles,  and.. 


MADAME   DE  BOURBOULON  28j; 

peopled  with  an  infinite  number  of  statues;  then  we 
climbed  a  superb  marble  staircase  of  thirty  steps,  whiclv 
Wd  to  another  square  court,  planted  in  the  same  style, 
and  shut  in  on  the  right  and  left  by  a  thick  forest  of 
huge  cedars,  which  conceals  eight  temples  with  circular 
cupolas,  crowned  and  ornamented  by  the  grimacing  gods 
of  the  Chinese  Trinity,  with  their  six  arms  and  six  heads. 
Now  another  staircase,  leading  to  a  circular  platform  in. 
white  marble,  in  the  middle  of  which  rises  the  grands 
mausoleum.  It  is  of  marble ;  a  great  bronze  door 
admits  to  the  interior.  We  pass  under  a  vault,  the  niches 
of  which  enclose  the  bones  of  the  Ming  emperors ;  ai 
spiral  staircase,  with  sculptured  balustrades,  very  hand- 
some in  style,  conducts  to  a  second  platform,  elevated' 
some  seventy  feet  above  the  ground.  The  view  from. 
it  is  magnificent,  overlooking  a  world  of  mausoleums, 
pagodas,  temples,  and  kiosks,  which  the  great  trees  had^ 
concealed  from  us. 

"  The  mausoleum  is  continued  into  an  immense  cupola, 
and  terminates  in  a  pointed  pyramid,  covered  witb 
plates  and  mythological  bas-reliefs.  Finally,  the  pyramid 
is  crowned  by  a  great  gilded  ball." 

The  travellers  here  quitted  their  English  horses,  and' 
mounted  the  frightful  Chinese  steeds  which  carry  on 
the  postal  service.  After  a  couple  of  wearisome  days, 
occupied  in  clearing  narrow  defiles,  torrents,  and  plains- 
of  blinding  dust,  they  reached  the  Lazarist  Mission. 

On  entering  the  town,  they  were  surrounded  by  an 
immense  multitude,  all  silent  and  polite,  but  not  the  less- 


284  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

fatiguing — ghtant,  as  Madame  de  Bourboulon  puts  it. 
"Their  eager  curiosity  did  not  fail  to  become  very  in- 
convenient, and  we  could  well  have  dispensed  with  the 
20,000  quidnuncs  who  accompanied  us  everywhere.  We 
halted  at  last  before  the  great  gateway  above  which 
figures,  though  only  for  a  few  days,  the  cross,  that  noble 
symbol  of  the  Latin  civilization.  It  is  the  standard  of 
humanity,  of  generous  ideas  and  universal  emancipation, 
placed  throughout  the  extreme  East  under  the  protection 
of  France.  The  EngHsh  occupy  themselves  wholly  with 
commerce  :  for  them,  faith  and  the  sublime  teachings  of 
religion  take  but  the  second  place." 

Very  few  French  travellers  seem  able  to  avoid  an 
occasional  outbreak  of  splenetic  patriotism.  The  great- 
ness and  the  generosity  of  France  are  the  hobby-horse 
■on  which  they  ride  with  such  a  fanfare  of  trumpets  as  to 
provoke  the  ridicule  of  the  passer-by.  Madame  de 
Bourboulon,  as  a  woman,  may  be  excused  her  little  bit 
of  sarcasm,  though  she  must  have  known  and  ought  to 
have  remembered  what  has  been  done  and  endured  by 
English  missionaries  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake  of  the 
•cross  of  Christ. 

The  Lazarist  priests  gave  our  travellers  a  hearty 
welcome  ;  and  after  a  good  night's  rest,  the  caravan 
quitted  Suan-hou-pu,  a  large  town,  remarkable  for  the 
number  of  Chinese  Mussulmans  who  inhabit  it.  They 
reached  Kalgan  on  the  23rd  of  May,  and  were  greeted 
by  Madame  de  Baluseck,  who  was  to  return  to  Europe 
^n  company  with  Madame  de  Bourboulon.     Thus,  as  Sir 


MADAME  DE  BOVRBOULON.  28s 

Frederick  Bruce  was  still  with  them,  the  representatives 
of  the  three  greatest  Powers  in  the  world  met  together 
in  this  remote  town,  which,  previously,  was  almost 
unknown  to  Europeans. 

Kalgan,  the  frontier  town  of  Mongolia,  is  not  so 
well  built  as  the  imperial  cities;  it  is  a  commercial 
centre,  where  bazaars  abound,  and  open  stalls ;  the  foot 
passengers  touch  the  walls  of  the  houses  as  they  file  by> 
one  after  the  other,  and  the  roadway,  narrow,  squalid, 
and  muddy,  is  thronged  with  chariots,  camels,  mules, 
and  horses.  "  I  have  been  much  struck,"  writes  Madame 
de  Bourboulon,  "with  the  extreme  variety  of  costumes  and 
types  resulting  from  the  presence  of  numerous  foreign 
merchants.  Here,  as  in  all  Chinese  towns,  the  traders 
at  every  door  tout  for  custom.  Here,  porters  trudge  by 
loaded  with  bales  of  tea ;  there,  under  an  awning  of  felt, 
are  encamped  itinerant  restaurateurs  with  their  cooking- 
stoves  ;  yonder,  the  mendicant  bonzes  beat  the  tam-tam, 
and  second-hand  dealers  display  their  wares. 

**  Ragged  Tartars,  with  their  legs  bare,  drive  onward 
herds  of  cattle,  without  thought  of  passers-by;  while 
Tibetans  display  their  sumptuous  garb,  their  blue  cap* 
with  red  top-knots,  and  their  loose-flowing  hair.  Farther 
ofif,  the  camel-drivers  of  Turkistan,  turbaned,  with  aquiline 
nose  and  long  black  beard,  lead  along,  with  strange  airs, 
their  camels  loaded  with  salt;  finally,  the  Mongolian 
Lamas,  in  red  and  yellow  garments,  and  shaven  crowns, 
gallop  past  on  their  untrained  steeds,  in  striking  contrast 


.286  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER. 

tto  the  calm  bearing  of  a  Siberian  merchant,  who  stalks 
along  in  his  thick  fur-lined  pelisse,  great  boots,  and  large 

ifelt  hat. 

"Behold  me  now  in  the  street  of  the   clothes-mer- 

-chants ;  there  are  more  second-hand  dealers  than  tailors 

jin  China ;  one  has  no  repugnance  for  another's  cast-off 
raiment,  and  frequently  one  does  not  deign  even  to  clean 

•4t  I  enter  a  fashionable  shop :  the  master  is  a  natty 
little  old  man,  his  nose  armed  with  formidable  spectacles 
which  do  but  partly  conceal  his  dull,  malignant  eyes. 

■  Three  young  people  in  tm-n  exhibit  to  the  passer-by  his 

•  different  wares,  extolling  their  quality,  and  making  known 
Ttheir  prices.     This  is  the  custom  ;  and  to  me  it  seems 

more  ingenious  and  better  adapted  to  attract  purchasers, 

than  the  artistically  arranged  shop-windows  which  one 

sees  in  Europe.     I  allowed  myself  to  be  tempted,  and 

purchased  a  blue  silk  pelisse,  lined  with  white  wool ;  this 

wool,  as  soft  and  fine  as  silk,  comes  from  the  celebrated 

'race  of  the  Ong-ti  sheep.     I  paid  for  it  double  its  value, 

but  the  master  of  the  establishment  was  so  persuasive,  so 

irresistible,  that  I  could  not  refuse,  and  I  then  left  im- 

V  mediately,  for  he  was  quite  capable  of  making  me  buy 

up  the  whole  of  his  shop.     The  Chinese  are  certainly 

the  cleverest  traders  in  the  world,  and  I  predict  that 

•  they  will  prove  formidable  competitors  to  the  dealers  of 
London  and  Paris,  if  it  should  ever  occur  to  them  to  set 

"up  their  establishments  in  Europe. 

*' After  dinner,  M.  de  Baluseck  took  leave  of  his  wife, 
^and  set  out  on  his  return  to  Pekin ;  Sir  F.  Bruce  goes 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  287 

•with  us  as  far  as  Bourgaltai,  the  first  station  in  Mongolia. 
From  our  hahing-place  I  can  perceive  the  ramifications 
of  the  Great  Wall,  stretching  northward  of  the  town 
towards  the  crest  of  the  mountains.  Kaigan,  which  has 
a  population  of  200,000  souls,  is  the  northernmost  town 
of  China  proper." 

On  the   24th  of  May,  the  travellers,  accompanied  by 
Madame  de  Baluseck,  departed  from  Kaigan  and  crossed 

"the  Great  Wall.     This  colossal  defensive  work  consists 

-of  double  crenelated  ramparts,  locked  together,  at 
intervals  of  about  100  yards,  by  towers  and  other  fortifi- 

•<:ations.  The  ramparts  are  built  of  brickwork  and  ash- 
tar  cemented  with  lime  ;    measure  twenty  feet  in  height, 

-and  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  in  thickness;  but  do  not 
at  all  points  preserve  this  solidity.  In  the  province  of 
Kansou,  there  is  but  one  line  of  rampart.  The  total 
length  of  this  great  barrier,  called  Wan-ti-chang  (or 
"myriad-mile  wall")  by  the  Chinese,  is  1,250  miles.  It  was 
built  about  220  b.c,  as  a  protection  against  the  Tartar 
marauders,  and  extends  from  3^30'  E.  to  15°  W.  of 
Pekin,  surmounting  the  highest  hills,  descending  into  the 
deepest  valleys,  and  bridging  the  most  formidable  rivers. 
Our   travellers    entered    Bourgaltai    in    the  evening, 

-simultaneously  with  the  caravan  of  camels,  which  had 
started  a  fortnight  before,  and  were  lodged  in  a  squalid 
and  filthy  inn.     Nothing,   however,   could  disturb   the 

•cheerful  temperament  of  Madame  de  Bourboulon,  who 
rose  superior  to  every  inconvenience  or  vexation,  and 

^is  bonhotnmie  is  the  chief  charm  of  her  book.     Thus,. 


288  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

speaking  of  the  first  evening  in  this  dirty  Mongolian  inn. 
she  says  : — "  There  was  nothing  to  be  done  but  to  be- 
content  with  some  cold  provisions,  and  our  camping-out 
beds.  It  was  the  birthday  of  Queen  Victoria,  and  as  our 
landlord  was  able  to  put  his  hand  upon  two  bottles  of" 
champagne,  we  drank,  along  with  Sir  Frederick  Bruce- 
and  Mr. Wade,  her  Majesty's  health.  Afterwards  we  played 
a  rubber  at  whist  (for  we  had  found  some  cards).  Surely, 
never  before  was  whist  played  in  the  Mongoliaa 
deserts  ! " 

Before  accompanying  our  travellers  into  these  deserts,, 
it  may  be  convenient  that  we  should  note  the  personnel  of 
their  following,  and  the  organization  of  their  expedition. 
In  addition  to  Monsieur  and  Madame  de  Bourboulon, 
the  French  caravan  consisted  of  six  persons : — Captain 
Bouvier,  of  the  Engineers ;  a  sergeant  and  a  private  of 
the  same  branch  of  the  service ;  an  artillerist ;  a  steward 
{intendant) ;  and  a  young  Christian,  a  native  of  Pekin,. 
whom  M.  de  Bourboulon  was  taking  with  him  to  France. 
Madame  de  Baluseck's  suite  consisted  of  a  Russiaa 
physician ;  a  French  waiting  maid ;  a  Lama  interpreter, 
named  Gomboi;  and  a  Cossack  (as  escort).  A  smalt 
carriage,  well  hung  on  two  wheels,  was  provided  for  the 
two  ladies.  The  other  travellers  journeyed  on  horseback 
or  in  Chinese  carts.  These  small  carts,  Avith  hoods  of  blue 
cloth,  carry  only  one  passenger ;  they  are  not  hung  upon 
springs,  but  are  solidly  constructed. 

At  Zayau-Tologoi,  the  Chinese  drivers  were  replaced 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  289 

bv  Mongolian  postillions,  and  the  Chinese  mandarins 
gave  up  the  responsibility  of  escort  to  Mongolian  officials. 

The  Mongolian  mode  of  harnessing  is  ver>'  strange : 
a  long  wooden  transversal  bar  is  fastened  to  the  end  of 
the  shafts,  and  on  each  side  a  horseman  glides  under  his 
saddle ;  then  they  set  off  at  full  gallop.  When  they 
halt  the  horsemen  disappear,  the  shafts  fall  abruptly  to 
the  ground  \  and  the  travellers,  if  they  have  not  a  good 
strong  hold,  are  projected  from  the  vehicle. 

The  officers  of  the  escort  go  in  advance  to  prepare 
tents  or  wigwams  formed  of  hurdles,  upon  which  is 
stretched  a  great  awning  of  felt;  the  whole  has  very 
much  the  appearance  of  an  enormous  umbrella,  with  a 
hole  at  the  top,  to  let  out  the  heated  air,  and  at  need  the 
smoke. 

As  the  travellers  carried  with  them  a  large  stock  oC 
provisions,  and  fresh  meat  could  generally  be  obtained 
from  the  nomad  shepherds,  their  table  was  well  served ; 
but  owing  to  the  absolute  dearth  of  any  other  kind  of 
fuel,  they  were  compelled  to  kindle  their  fires  with  argols^ 
or  dried  cow-dung. 

In  due  time  they  entered  upon  the  great  desert  of 
Gobi,  where  the  grassy  plain  is  covered  by  a  countless 
multitude  of  mole-hills,  which  render  locomotion  very 
difficult  This  apparently  boundless  desert,  notwith- 
standing its  lack  of  trees  and  shrubs  and  flowers,  and  its 
monotonous  uniformity,  is  not  without  a  certain  charm, 
as  many  travellers  have  acknowledged.  Madame  de 
Bouboulon,  writing  of  it,  says  : — 


290  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

"  I  grew  accustomed  to  the  desert ;  it  is  only  for  a 
few  days  that  I  have  had  experience  of  tent-life,  and  yec 
it  seems  to  me  as  if  I  had  always  lived  so.  The  desert 
is  like  the  ocean  :  the  human  eye  plunges  into  the 
infinite,  and  everything  speaks  of  God.  The  Mongolian 
nomad  loves  his  horse  as  the  sailor  loves  his  ship.  It 
is  useless  to  ask  him  to  be  bound  by  the  sedentary  habits 
of  the  Chinese,  to  build  fixed  habitations,  and  cultivate 
the  soil.  This  free  child  of  Nature  will  let  you  treat  him  as 
a  rude  barbarian,  but  in  himself  he  despises  civilized  man, 
who  creeps  and  crawls  like  a  worm  about  the  small  corner 
of  land  which  he  calls  his  property.  The  immense  plain 
belongs  to  him,  and  his  herds,  which  follow  his  erratic 
courses,  supply  him  with  food  and  clothing.  What  wants 
be  more,  so  long  as  the  earth  does  not  fail  him  ?  " 

There  is  another  light  in  which  this  vast  desert  may  be 
looked  at.  Unquestionably,  its  influence  on  the  destinies 
of  the  human  race  has  been  injurious ;  it  has  checked 
the  progress  of  the  Semitic  civilization.  The  primitive 
peoples  of  India  and  Tibet  were  civilized  at  an  early 
period  of  the  world's  history ;  but  the  immense  wilder- 
ness put  an  impassable  barrier  between  them  and  the 
barbarous  tribes  of  Northern  Asia.  More  than  the 
Himalaya,  more  than  the  snow-capped  peaks  of  Sirinagur 
and  Gorkha,  these  boundless  wastes,  alternately  withered 
by  a  tropical  summer,  and  blighted  by  a  rigorous 
winter,  have  prevented  for  ages  all  intercommunication, 
all  fusion  between  the  inhabitants  of  Northern  and  those 
of  Southern  Asia ;    and  it  is  thus  that  India  and  Tibe» 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  291 

have  remained  the  only  regions  of  this  part  of  the  world 
which  have  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  civilization,  of  the 
refinement  of  manners,  and  of  the  genius  of  the  arts. 

The  barbarians  who,  in  the  last  agonies  of  the  Roman 
Empire,  invaded  and  devastated  Europe,  issued  from  the 
steppes  and  table-lands  of  Mongolia.  As  Humboldt  says — 
"If  intellectual  culture  has  directed  its  course  from 
the  East  to  the  West,  like  the  vivifying  light  of  the  sun, 
barbarism  at  a  later  period  followed  the  same  route,  when 
it  threatened  to  plunge  Europe  again  into  darkness.  A 
tawny  race  of  shepherds  of  Thon-KliJu — that  is  to  say, 
of  Turkish  origin,  the  Hioungum — inhabited,  living  under 
sheepskin  tents,  the  elevated  table-land  of  Gobi.  Long  for- 
midable to  the  Chinese  power,  a  portion  of  the  Hioungum 
were  driven  south  into  Central  Asia.  The  impulse  thus 
given,  uninterruptedly  propagated  itself  to  the  primitive 
country  of  the  Fins,  on  the  banks  of  the  Ural,  whence 
irrupted  a  torrent  of  Huns,  Avars,  Chasars,  and  divers 
mixtures  of  Asiatic  races.  The  armies  of  the  Huns  first 
appeared  on  the  banks  of  the  Volga,  then  in  Pannonia, 
finally  on  the  borders  of  the  Marne  and  the  Po,  ravag- 
ing the  beautiful  plains  where,  from  the  time  of  Anti 
wor,  the  genius  of  man  had  accumulated  monuments 
upon  monuments.  Thus  blew  from  the  Mongolian 
desert  a  pestilential  wind  which,  even  as  far  as  the 
Cisalpine  plains,  blighted  the  delicate  flower  of  art,  the 
object  of  cares  so  constant  and  so  tender."  * 

•  Humboldt :  "  Ansichten  der  Natur,"  L  8. 


2.92  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

The  temperature  is  extremely  variable  in  these 
steppes,  so  that  Madame  de  Bourboulon  records  having 
experienced  in  the  morning  a  frost  of  one  degree  below 
zero,  and  some  hours  afterwards  a  heat  of  thirty  degrees 
above  zero  (Centigrade).  These  changes  are  most 
numerous  and  most  violent  in  the  spring. 

The  difficulty  of  travel  is  increased  by  the  peculiar 
rapid  trot  of  the  Mongol  horses  and  the  formidable  un 
evenness  of  the  ground.  The  jolting  is  almost  intolerable. 
However  carefully  the  traveller's  wares  may  have 
been  packed,  they  are  infallibly  damaged  ;  and 
Madame  de  Bourboulon  says  that  they  strewed  the 
desert  with  the  wreck  of  their  wardrobe  and  their  linen. 
Her  husband  laughingly  averred  that  the  very  money  in 
the  iron-bound  chests  was  broken  by  the  violent  friction, 
and  his  veracity,  at  first  impugned,  was  confirmed  by  the 
exhibition  of  a  handful  of  silver  filings ;  a  pile  of  piastres 
jvas  found  pared  and  ground  down  as  if  by  a  file,  and 
had  the  journey  been  much  prolonged,  ''all  would  have 
been  reduced  to  dust." 

As  the  travellers  advanced,  they  observed  the  in- 
creasing scarcity  of  vegetation ;  here  and  there  might  be 
seen  a  few  tufts  of  saxifrage  lifting  up  amidst  the  stones 
their  rose-tinted  posies — a  rank,  thorny,  and  creeping  herb- 
age— some  attenuated  heaths,  and  in  the  crevices  and 
hollows  of  the  rocks,  a  little  couch  grass.  They  had 
taken  leave  of  the  irises,  white,  purple,  and  yellow,  and 
the  scarlet  anemones,  which  at  first  had  brightened  the 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  293 

way,  and  filled  the  plains  with  their  delicious  balmy 
odour. 

Madame  de  Bourboulon  affords  us  a  glimpse,  and  an 
interesting  one,  of  the  manners  of  the  nomad  tribes : — 
"  Throughout  the  day  a  tropical  heat  had  prevailed,  and 
in  the  evening,  on  arriving  at  Haliptchi,  where  they  were 
to  pass  the  night,  the  postillions  eagerly  moved  down 
upon  the  vessels  of  water  and  camel's  milk  which  the 
women  and  children  had  made  ready  for  them.  A 
violent  altercation  ensued,  because  one  of  the  Hagars  of 
the  desert  had  allowed  a  stranger  to  drink  before  her 
husband  had  been  supplied  The  latter  emptied  out 
the  contents  of  the  vessel  and  threw  some  at  the  head  of 
his  immodest  wife,  amidst  the  shouts  and  laughter  of  the 
shepherds."  This  scene  reminded  Madame  de  Bour- 
boulon of  the  Bible  and  the  age  of  the  patriarchs. 

Quitting  the  desert  of  the  Gobi,  our  travellers  entered 
the  country  of  the  Khalkhas,  a  region  of  great  forests, 
pasturages,  and  crystal  rivers;  but  even  this  earthly 
paradise  of  bloom,  verdure,  and  freshness  was  not 
without  its  dangers.  We  take  an  extract,  in  illustration 
of  them,  from  Madame  de  Bourboulon's  journal : — 

"  I  rode  on  horseback  this  morning,"  she  says, 
"enticed  by  the  aspect  of  the  beautiful  green  prairies 
of  Tairene.  My  horse  bounded  over  their  surface,  and 
giving  him  the  reins  I  allowed  myself  to  traverse  the 
plain  in  a  furious  gallop,  lulled  by  the  dull  sound  of  his 
hoofs,  which  a  thick  carpet  of  grasses  deadened,  paying 
no  heed  to  anything  around  me,  and  lost  in  a  profound 


294  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

reverie.  Suddenly  I  heard  inarticulate  cries  behind  me, 
and  as  1  turned  to  .ascertain  their  cause,  I  felt  myself 
pulled  by  the  sleeve  of  my  vest ;  it  was  a  Mongolian  of 
the  escort,  who  had  been  sent  in  pursuit  of  me.  He 
lowered  first  one  hand  and  then  another,  imitating  with 
his  fingers  the  gallop  of  a  runaway  horse;  at  length, 
perceiving  that  I  did  not  understand,  he  pointed  fixedly 
to  the  soil.  My  presence  of  mind  returned ;  I  had  an 
intuition  of  the  danger  which  I  had  escaped,  and  I 
discovered  that  the  animation  of  our  horses  was  not  due 
to  the  charm  of  green  pasture,  but  to  fear,  the  fear  of 
being  swallowed  up  alive.  The  ground  disappeared 
under  their  feet,  and  if  they  remained  still  they  would 
sink  into  the  treacherous  bogs  which  do  not  restore  their 
victims.  I  tremble  still  when  I  think  of  the  peril  I  have 
escaped ;  my  horse,  better  served  by  its  instinct  than  I 
by  my  intelligence,  had  dashed  onwards,  while  I  perceived 
nothing :  a  few  paces  more  and  I  was  lost ! 

"  White  vapours,  rising  from  the  earth,  gave  our 
postillions  a  fantastic  appearance;  one  might  have 
mistaken  them  for  black  shadows  of  gigantic  propor- 
tions, mounted  upon  transparent  and  microscopic  horses. 
Madame  de  Baluseck  and  I  were  amusing  ourselves  with 
this  grotesque  mirage,  when  our  attention  was  attracted 
by  a  still  more  curious  phenomenon  :  the  sun,  as  it  rose, 
dissipating  the  morning  mists,  revealed  to  us  Captain 
Bouvier,  who,  hitherto  hidden  in  the  obscurity,  was 
galloping  about  a  hundred  yards  in  advance  of  us ; 
he  had  become  trebled — that  is,  on  each  side  of  him  a 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOUZON.  295 

<iouble  had  taken  its  place,  imitating  faithfully  his 
imovements  and  gestures.  I  do  not  remember  ever 
before  to  have  seen  such  a  phenomenon,  and  I 
leave  it  to  those  who  are  more  learned  than  I  am 
to  decide  what  law  of  optics  disclosed  it  to  our 
astonished  gaze.** 

We  must  pass  more  rapidly  than  did  our  travellers 
•through  the  land  of  the  Khalkhas,  a  race  who  nominally 
acknowledge  the  authority  of  the  son  of  Herica,  the 
:  great  Mandchoo,  the  descendant  of  Genghiz-khan, 
who  governs  the  empire  of  the  Centre,  but  pay 
him  neither  tax  nor  tribute,  and  are,  in  reality, 
governed  and  administered  by  the  Guison-Tamba, 
one  of  the  divine  incarnations  of  Buddha  in  the 
body  of  an  eternal  child  who  comes  from  the  holy 
•court  of  Tibet. 

At  Guibanoff,  on  the  frontiers  of  the  two  empires, 
Russia  and  China,  our  travellers  found  provided  for 
them,  by  the  Governor-General  of  Eastern  Siberia,  new 
means  of  transport.  He  had  sent  them  also  an  escort, 
and  his  own  aide-de-camp,  M.  d'Ozeroff,  who  was  to 
conduct  them  to  Irkutsk.  The  carriages  supplied  were 
tarantas,  or  large  post-chaises,  drawn  by  six  horses,  and 
telagas,  or  four-wheeled  waggons.  They  speedily  made 
••their  way  to  Kiakhta,  where  they  met  with  a  most 
hospitable  reception,  and  were  splendidly  feted.  Dinner, 
•concert,  ball  were  given  in  their  honour ;  "  nothing  was 
«wanting,   not   even  the  polka,"     The   large  number  of 


296  WOMAN  AS  A   TRAVELLER. 

political  exiles  always  residing  here  has  introduced  into- 
the  midst  of  the  Siberian  deserts  the  urbanity  of  the  best 
society ;  nearly  all  the  ladies  speak  French. 

According  to  Madame  de  Bourboulon,  Siberia  is  more 
civilized  than  old  Russia;  so  true  is  it  that  it  is  easier 
to  overlay  a  new  country  with  civilization  than  to- 
rejuvenate  an  old  one. 

On  reaching  the  bank  of  Lake  Baikal,  our  travellers 
were  greatly  disappointed  to  find  that  the  steamers  which 
navigate  the  lake  had  sustained  severe  injuries,  and  were 
undergoing  repair.  After  some  hesitation,  they  decided 
upon  embarking  in  the  sailing-vessels,  heavy,  lumbering, 
and  broad-beamed  boats,  intended  only  for  the  convey- 
ance of  merchandise,  and  terribly  unclean.  The  tarantas- 
were  hauled  up  on  their  decks,  and  after  a  night  of  peril, 
when  a  sudden  hurricane  put  to  the  test  their  solidity 
and  staying  qualities,  they  effected  the  transit  of  the  lake 
in  safety.  The  "  Holy  Sea,"  as  the  natives  call  it,  is  the- 
third  largest  lake  in  Asia — about  400  miles  in  length, 
and  varying  in  breadth  from  nineteen  miles  to  seventy. 
Though  fed  by  numerous  streams  it  has  only  one  outlet,, 
the  Angara,  a  tributary  of  the  Yenisei.  Lying  deep- 
among  the  Baikal  mountains,  an  offshoot  of  the  Altai, 
it  presents  some  vividly  coloured  and  very  striking 
scenery.  Its  fisheries  are  valuable.  In  the  great  chain 
of  communication  between  Russia  and  China  it  holds  ani 
important  place,  and  of  late  years  its  navigation  has  been 
conducted  by  steamboats.     An  interesting  account  of  it 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON,  297 

will  be  found  in  Mr.  T.  W.  Atkinson's  "  Oriental  and 
Western  Siberia." 

Irkutsk  was  very  pleasant  to  our  travellers  after  their 
long  experience  of  the  desert.  Once  more  they  found" 
themselves  within  the  generous  influences  of  civilization.^ 
Though  possessing  not  more  than  23,000  inhabitants,  it 
is  a  busy  and  a  lively  town  ;  and  here,  as  at  Kiakhta,  the 
number  of  exiles  gives  a  certain  tone  and  elevation  to* 
the  social  circle.  Here  Madame  de  Baluseck  parted 
company.  M.  and  Madame  de  Bourboulon,  resuming 
their  journey,  pressed  forward  with  such  alacrity  that^ 
in  the  space  of  ten  hours,  they  sometimes  accom- 
plished 127  versts,  though  this  rate  of  speed  must 
necessarily  have  told  heavily  on  the  strength  of  Madame 
de  Bourboulon.  The  fatigue  she  endured  brought  on 
the  sleep  of  exhaustion,  which  almost  resembles  cata- 
lepsy. "  We  arrived,"  she  writes,  "  at  eight  in  the- 
morning  on  the  banks  of  the  Tenisci ;  immediately  the- 
horses  were  taken  out  and  forced  into  the  ferry-boat,  in 
spite  of  their  desperate  resistance — I  did  not  stir.  My 
carriage  was  lifted  up  and  hauled  on  board  by  dint  of 
sheer  physical  strength,  fifty  men  being  required  for 
the  work,  and  singing  their  loudest  to  inspirit  their 
efforts — I  heard  nothing.  On  the  boat  the  ropes- 
rattled  through  the  pulleys  and  the  iron  chains  of 
the  capstans,  while  the  master  directed  the  movements 
of  his  crew  by  sharp  blasts  on  his  whistle — I  con- 
tinued to  sleep;  in  fine,  by  an  ordinary  effect  of  the- 


298  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

profoundest  sleep,  I  awakened  only  when  silence  suc- 
ceeded to  this  uproar. 

Carlyle  has  a  remark  to  the  effect  that  from  the  way  in 
'which  a  man,  of  some  wide  thing  that  he  has  witnessed, 
will  construct  a  narrative,  what  kind  of  picture  and 
•delineation  he  will  give  of  it,  is  the  best  measure  we  can 
get  of  the  man's  intellect.*  Certainly  from  a  record  of 
travel  one  can  form  a  tolerably  correct  estimate  of  the 
■character,  disposition,  and  faculties  of  the  traveller.  On 
€very  page  of  her  book,  for  example,  Madame  de 
Bourboulon  reveals  herself  as  a  woman  of  some  culture, 
of  a  cheerful  temper,  a  lively  apprehension,  and  refined 
mind.  Her  keen  remarks  indicate  that  she  has  been 
accustomed  to  good  society.  Speaking  of  the  daughter 
•of  the  Governor  of  Krasuv'iarsk,  she  observes : — "  She 
would  be  charming,  if  she  did  not  wear  a  hat  with 
feathers  and  white  aigrettes,  so  empanachk  as  to  have 
a  very  curious  effect  on  her  blonde  and  roguish  {espiegle) 
head."  She  adds,  "  Wherever  I  have  travelled  I  have 
observed  that  the  so-called  Parisian  modes,  the  most 
■eccentric  things  and  in  the  worst  possible  taste,  were 
assumed  by  ladies  of  the  most  remote  countries,  where 
they  arrive  completely  made  up,  though  it  is  not  possible 
for  their  makers  to  ascertain  if  they  will  be  acceptable 
to  the  public.  Hence  the  heterogeneous  toilets  of 
•strangers  who  land  in  Paris,  persuaded  that  they  are 
dressed  in  the  latest  fashion." 

*  Thomas  Carlyle  :   "Lectures  on  Heroes,"  Lect.  iii. 


AfADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  299 

At  Atchinsk,  which  separates  East  from  West  Siberia, 
the  travellers  were  received  with  graceful  hospitality, 
but  made  no  lengthened  stay.  Onward  they  sped,  over 
the  perpetual  plains,  intersected  by  forests  of  firs  and 
countless  water-courses.  At  Tomsk  their  reception  was 
not  less  cordial  than  it  had  been  at  Irkutsk.  Next  they 
plunged  into  the  immense  marshes  of  Baraba ;  into  a 
dreary  succession  of  lakes,  and  pools,  and  swamps, 
blooming  with  a  luxurious  vegetation  and  a  marvellous 
profusion  of  wild  flowers,  each  more  beautiful  than  the 
other,  but  swarming,  unhappily,  with  a  plague  of  insects 
eager  to  drink  the  blood  of  man  or  beast.  Madame  de 
Bourboulon  had  a  cruel  proof  of  their  activity,  though 
she  had  fortified  her  face  with  a  mask  of  horsehair, 
and  thrust  her  hands  into  the  thickest  gloves.  "  I  was 
seated  in  a  corner,"  she  says,  "  wrapped  up  in  my  cover- 
ings ;  I  lift  the  window-sash  of  one  of  the  doors ;  the 
air  is  close  and  warm,  the  night  dark  ;  black  clouds, 
charged  with  electricity,  roll  above  me,  and  the  wind  brings 
to  me  the  marsh-odours  acrid  and  yet  flat  .  .  Gradually 
I  fall  asleep ;  I  have  kept  on  my  mask,  but  the  window- 
pane  remains  open.  .  .  A  keen  sensation  of  cold  and 
of  intolerable  itchings  in  the  hands  and  face  awakens 
me ;  day  has  dawned,  and  the  marshes  lie  before  me  in 
all  their  splendid  colouring,  but  I  have  paid  dearly  for 
my  imprudence ;  every  part  of  my  face  which  my  mask 
touched  in  the  position  in  which  I  fell  asleep  has  been 
stung  a  thousand  times  through  the  meshes  of  hair 
by  thousands  of  probosces  and   suckers  athirst  for  my 


300  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER. 

Wood— forehead  and  chest  and  chin  are  grotesquely 
^swollen.  I  do  not  know  myself.  My  wrist,  exposed 
between  the  glove  and  the  edge  of  the  sleeve,  is 
ornamented  with  a  regular  swelling  like  a  bracelet  all 
Tound  the  arm ;  in  a  word,  wherever  the  enemy  has 
been  able  to  penetrate,  he  has  wrought  indescribable 
iravage.  .  .  . 

'*At  the  next  posting-house,  I  have  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  that  my  travelling-companions  have  not 
escaped  better  than  myself,  and,  thanks  to  the  vinegar 
and  water  bandages  we  are  forced  to  apply,  we  resemble, 
as  we  sit  at  the  breakfast  table,  an  ambulatory  hospital  !" 

The  Baraba  marshes  measure  250  miles  in  breadth, 
^and  in  length  extend  over  eight  degrees  of  latitude  (from 
the  52nd  to  the  60th) ;  a  road  has  been  carried  across 
them,  consisting  of  trunks  of  fir  trees  fastened  together 
•and  covered  with  clay,  but  it  is  not  very  substantial. 

Abandoning  the  steppes  and  forests  of  Western 
Siberia,  our  travellers  crossed  the  great  Ural  range  of 
mountains,  made  their  way  to  Perm,  and  thence  to  the 
Volga.  Having  disposed  of  all  their  vehicles,  they 
^transformed  themselves  into  European  tourists,  with 
no  other  incumbrances  than  boxes  and  portmanteaus. 
They  traversed  Rayan,  and  in  due  time  arrived  at  Nijni- 
Novgorod,  just  at  the  season  of  its  famous  fair,  which 
in  importance  equals  that  of  Leipzig,  and  in  variety  of 
interest  surpasses  it.  To  the  observer  it  offers  a  wonder- 
ful collection  of  different  types  of  humanity.  There  you 
imay  see  assembled  all  the   strange   races  of  the  East, 


MADAME  DE  BOURBOULON.  301 

•elbowing  Russians,  and  Jews,  and  Cossacks,  and  the 
traders  of  almost  every  European  nation.  Among  the 
«hows  and  spectacles,  Madame  de  Bourboulon  was  most 
struck  by  a  performance  of  Shakespeare's  '*  Othello," 
in  which  the  hero  was  played  by  a  black  actor  from  the 
West  Indies  (Ira  Aldridge?),  who  spoke  in  English, 
while  all  the  other  characters  delivered  their  speeches 
in  Russian.  The  result  was  a  curious  cacophony.  She 
thought  the  Othello  good,  nay,  very  good,  for,  she 
■observes,  "  On  returning  from  China  one  is  not  very 
hard  to  please." 

From  Nijni-Novgorod  our  travellers  proceeded  to 
Moscow  by  rail,  and  thence  to  St.  Petersburg,  return- 
ing to  Paris  through  Prussia  and  Belgium. 

In  four  months  they  had  accomplished  a  journey  of 
very  great  length,  having  traversed  from  Shanghai  to 
Paris,  some  8,000  miles,  without  accident  We  regret 
to  add  that  Madame  de  Bourboulon  did  not  long  survive 
her  return  home ;  she  died  at  the  chateau  of  Claireau, 
in  Loiret,  on  the  nth  of  November,  1865,  at  the  early 
age  of  37. 


LADY    HESTER   STANHOPE. 

LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE  was  born  in  1776. 
She  came  of  a  good  stock  :  her  father  was  that 
democratic  and  practical  nobleman  who  invented  a» 
ingenious  printing-press,  and  erased  his  armorial  bear- 
ings from  his  plate  and  furniture  ;  her  mother  was  the 
eldest  daughter  of  William  Pitt,  the  "great  Earl  of 
Chatham."  It  was  at  Burton-Pynsent,  her  illustrious 
grandfathers  country  seat,  she  spent  her  early  years, 
displaying  that  boldness  of  spirit  and  love  of  indepen- 
dence which  marked  her  later  career,  training  and  riding 
the  most  unmanageable  horses,  and  shocking  society 
not  a  little  by  her  disregard  of  its  conventionalities. 
She  inherited  from  her  parents  great  force  of  character^ 
intellectual  facultito  of  no  common  ^%rder,  and  some- 
thing, probably,  of  her  eccentricity  of  disposition.  A 
large  and  liberal  education  developed  these  natural 
powers,  which  were  in   themselves  remarkable,  and  as 

SOS 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE,  303 

she  grew  up  to  womanhood  her  sagacious  estimates  of 
policy  and  her  sound  judgment  of  men  and  things 
secured  her  respect  in  the  highest  poHtical  circles.  To 
her  cousin,  the  younger  Pitt — "  the  pilot  who  weathered 
the  storm,"  in  the  language  of  poetry ;  who  died  when 
it  was  at  its  height,  in  the  language  of  fact — her  advice 
was  always  acceptable.  It  was  always  freely  given,  for 
her  admiration  of  her  distinguished  kinsman  was  un- 
bounded. In  the  last  mouths  of  his  life,  when  he  was 
stricken  by  a  mortal  disease,  and  sinking  under  the 
burden  of  political  disaster,  she  was  assiduous  in  her 
attendance  upon  him ;  and  it  was  to  her,  after  the 
memorable  battle  of  Austerlitz,  he  addressed  those 
historic  words,  so  pathetic  in  their  expression  of  failure, 
"  Roll  up  that  map  (the  map  of  Europe),  it  will  not  be 
wanted  these  two  years." 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Pitt,  Lady  Hester  abandoned 
the  gay  and  polished  society  of  which  she  had  been  an 
acknowledged  ornament,  and  quitted  England.  This 
defection  society  was  by  no  means  able  to  understand. 
That  a  woman  of  high  birth,  and  rank,  and  wealth,  the 
niece  of  one  great  minister  and  the  kinswoman  of  another, 
should  deliberately  renounce  the  advantages  of  her 
position,  was  a  circumstance  unintelligible  to  ordinary 
minds,  and  thenceforth  she  shared  with  Lord  Byron  the 
curiosity  and  speculation  of  the  public.  Her  singular 
independence  of  thought  and  character  had  already 
invested  her  with  a  fatal  reputation  for  "  eccentricity," 
and   to    "  eccentricity "  her   action   was   very  generally 

20 


304  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

attributed.  Some,  indeed,  were  pleased  to  cast  upon 
it  a  gleam  of  romance,  and  protested  that  it  was  brought 
about  by  her  sweet  sorrow  for  a  young  English  officer  of 
high  rank  who  had  perished  on  one  of  the  battlefields 
of  the  Peninsula.  Others,  who  were  nearer  the  truth, 
ascribed  it  to  a  love  of  adventure.  But,  in  plain  truth, 
the  ruling  motive  was  pride,  a  colossal,  an  all-absorbing 
pride,  which  could  be  satisfied  only  by  power  and 
influence,  and  a  foremost  place.  Her  great  kinsman's 
death  had  necessarily  excluded  her  from  the  councils 
of  ministers,  and  closed  upon  her  the  doors  of  cabinets. 
I'he  ordinary  pursuits  of  society  afforded  her  no  grati- 
fication, opened  up  no  channel  in  which  her  restless 
energies  could  expend  themselves.  She  was  of  too 
•strong  a  mind,  of  too  clear  an  intellect,  to  value  the 
ephemeral  influence  enjoyed  by  wealth  or  beauty;  she 
wanted  to  reign,  to  rule,  to  govern,  and  as  that  was  no 
longer  a  possibility  in  the  political  world,  she  resolved 
upon  seeking  some  new  sphere  where  she  would  always 
be  first.  It  was  this  illimitable  pride,  this  uncontrolled 
ambition,  which  weakened  and  obscured  the  elements 
of  true  greatness  in  her  character,  a  character  which 
cannot  fail  to  possess  an  extraordinary  interest  for  the 
psychological  public. 

After  traversing  Europe  with  impetuous  feet  she  visited 
Athens  in  company  with  Mr.  Bruce.  Here  she  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Lord  Byron.  In  the  language  of  Mr. 
Moore,  one  of  the  first  objects  that  met  the  eyes  of  the 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE,  305 

<listinguished  travellers,  on  their  approaching  the  coast 
of  Attica,  was  the  noble  poet,  "disporting  in  his  favourite 
element  under  the  rocks  of  Colonna."  They  were  after- 
wards introduced  to  each  other  by  Lord  Sligo,  and  it  waa 
in  the  course  of  their  first  interview  at  Lord  Sligo's  table 
that  Lady  Hester,  with  that  "  lively  eloquence  "  for  which 
she  was  remarkable,  briskly  assailed  the  author  of  "Childe 
Harold  "  for  the  depreciating  opinion  he  was  supposed 
to  entertain  of  alL  female  intellect.  Being  but  little 
inclined,  were  he  even  able,  to  sustain  such  a  heresy 
against  one  who  was  in  her  own  person  such  an  irresistible 
refutation  of  it.  Lord  Byron  had  no  other  refuge  from 
the  fair  orator's  arguments  than  in  assent  and  silence ; 
and  this  well-bred  deference  being,  in  a  sensible  woman's 
eyes,  equivalent  to  concession,  they  became,  thence- 
forward, most  cordial  friends. 

At  Constantinople,  which  she  next  visited.  Lady 
Hester  remained  for  several  years.  There  was  much  in 
the  gorgeous  life  of  the  East  to  charm  her  fancy  and 
gratify  her  besetting  weakness.  She  delighted  in  the 
implicit  submission  to  her  orders,  in  the  almost  servile 
obedience  which  Orientals  pay  to  their  superiors,  in  the 
sharp  contrast  between  the  old  and  the  new  civilization. 
After  awhile,  however,  she  wearied  even  of  the  Golden 
City — it  was  not  remote  enough  from  Western  ideas,  nor 
did  it  offer  that  solitary  and  independent  throne  which 
her  ambitious  and  restless  spirit  coveted.  She  resolved 
on  seeking  it  amid  the  glowing  plains  of  Syria :  and  with 
this  view  embarked  on  board  an  English  merchant-vessel, 


3o6  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

which  she  had  loaded  with  her  property,  with  pearls  of 
considerable  value,  and  with  a  large  amount  of  costly 
presents  designed  to  purchase  the  homage  or  allegiance 
of  the  Syrian  tribes. 

Caught  in  a  violent  storm,  the  ship  was  wrecked  on  a 
reef  near  the  island  of  Rhodes.  The  waves  swallowed 
up  Lady  Hester's  treasures,  and  she  herself  barely 
escaped  with  life.  On  a  small  desert  island  she  remained 
for  four-and-twenty  hours  without  food  or  shelter,  until 
happily  discovered  by  some  Levantine  fishermen,  who 
conveyed  her  to  Rhodes. 

Returning  to  England,  she  hastened  to  collect  the 
remains  of  her  scattered  fortune,  sold  a  portion  of  her 
estates,  chartered  another  vessel,  and  a  second  time 
sailed  for  the  East.  The  voyage  was  not  marked  by  any 
contrary  incident,  and  Lady  Hester  safely  disembarked 
at  Latakia,  a  small  port  of  Syria,  between  Tripoli  and 
Alexandretta.  In  the  neighbourhood  she  hired  a  house, 
and  began  the  study  of  Arabic,  while  busily  preparing 
for  her  Syrian  travels. 

Having  acquired  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  the 
language,  customs,  and  manners  of  the  people.  Lady 
Hester  organized  a  numerous  caravan,  and  proceeded 
to  visit  every  part  of  Syria.  She  halted  in  suc- 
cession at  Jerusalem,  Damascus,  Aleppo,  Baulbek,  and 
Palmyra — everywhere  maintaining  an  almost  regal 
state — and  by  the  stateliness  of  her  demeanour  and 
the  splendour  of  her  pretensions  producing  a  powerful 


LADV  HESTER  STANHOPE.  307 

impression  on  the  wandering  Arab  tribes,  who  pro- 
claimed her  Queen  of  Palmyra  and  paid  her  an 
enthusiastic  homage. 

After  several  years  of  migratory  enterprise,  during 
which  her  pretensions  gradually  grew  bolder  and  stronger 
as  her  own  faith  in  them  increased,  she  at  length  fixed 
her  abode  in  an  almost  inaccessible ,  solitude  of  the  wild 
Lebanon,  near  Said — the  ancient  Sidon — a  concession  of 
the  ruined  convent  and  village  of  Djoun,  a  settlement 
of  the  Druses,  having  been  granted  by  the  Pastor  of  St 
Jean  d'Acre.  There  she  erected  her  tent.  The  convent 
was  a  broad,  grey  mass  of  irregular  building,  which,  from 
Its  position,  as  well  as  from  the  gloomy  blankness  of  its 
walls,  gave  the  idea  of  a  neglected  fortress ;  it  had,  in 
fact,  been  a  convent  of  great  size,  and  like  most  of  the 
religious  houses  in  this  part  of  the  world,  had  been  made 
strong  enough  for  opposing  an  inert  resistance  to  any 
mere  casual  band  of  assailants  who  might  be  unprovided 
with  regular  means  of  attack.  This  she  filled  with  a 
large  retinue  of  dragomen,  women,  slaves,  and  Albanian 
guards.  She  lived  like  an  independent  princess,  with  a 
court  of  her  own,  a  territory  of  her  own,  and  it  must  be 
added,  laws  of  her  own  ;  carrying  on  political  relations 
with  the  Porte,  with  Beschir  the  celebrated  Emir  of  the 
Lebanon,  and  the  numerous  sheikhs  of  the  Syrian 
deserts.  Over  these  sheikhs  and  these  tribes  she  exer- 
cised at  one  time  a  singular  influence.  Mr.  Kinglake 
reports  that  her  connection  with  the  Bedawun  began  by 
her  making  a  large  present  of  money  (;^5oo,  an  immense 


joS  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

sum  in  piastres)  to  the  chief  whose  authority  was 
recognized  between  Damascus  and  Palmyra,  "The 
prestige/'  he  says,  "  created  by  the  rumours  of  her  high 
and  undefined  rank,  as  well  as  of  her  wealth  and  corre- 
sponding magnificence,  was  well  sustained  by  her 
imperious  character  and  dauntless  bravery." 

Lady  Hester,  in  conversation  with  the  European 
visitors,  would  occasionally  mention  some  of  the  circum- 
stances that  assisted  her  to  secure  an  influence  amounting 
almost  to  sovereignty. 

"  The  Bedawun,  so  often  engaged  in  irregular  warfare,, 
strains  his  eyes  to  the  horizon  in  search  of  a  coming 
enemy  just  as  habitually  as  the  sailor  keeps  his  *  bright 
look  out'  for  a  strange  sail  In  the  absence  of  telescopes 
a  far-reaching  sight  is  highly  valued  \  and  Lady  Hester 
had  this  power.  She  told  me  that  on  one  occasion,  when 
there  was  good  reason  to  expect  hostilities,  a  far-seeing 
Arab  created  great  excitement  in  the  camp  by  declaring 
that  he  could  distinguish  some  moving  objects  upon  the 
very  farthest  point  within  the  reach  of  his  eyes.  Lady 
Hester  was  consulted,  and  she  instantly  assured  her 
comrades  in  arms  that  there  were  indeed  a  number  of 
horses  within  sight,  but  that  they  were  without  riders  :  the 
assertion  proved  to  be  correct,  and  from  that  time  forth 
her  superiority  over  all  others  in  respect  of  far  sight 
remained  undisputed." 

We  may  quote  another  anecdote,  because  it  has  a 
double  significance,  illustrating  not  only  the  character  of 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  309 

Lady  Hester,  but  the  temperament  of  the  wandering 
race  over  whom  she  sought  to  rule. 

She  was  marching  one  day  along  with  the  military 
array  of  the  tribe.  Observing  that  they  were  making 
preparations  for  an  engagement,  she  inquired  the  reason, 
and,  after  some  attempt  at  mystification  on  the  part  of 
the  sheikh,  was  informed  that  war  had  been  declared 
against  the  tribe  on  account  of  its  alliance  with  the 
English  princess,  and  they  were  consequently  exposed 
to  attack  by  a  highly  superior  force.  The  sheikh  con- 
trived to  let  Lady  Hester  see  that  she  was  the  teierrima 
causa  belli,  and  that  the  contention  would  readily  be 
appeased  but  for  his  recognition  of  the  sacredness  of 
the  duty  of  protecting  the  Englishwoman  whom  he  had 
received  as  his  guest ;  at  the  same  time  his  tribe  would 
probably  experience  a  crushing  disaster.  Lady  Hester's 
resolution  was  immediately  taken  :  she  would  not  for  one 
moment  suffer  a  calamity  to  fall  upon  her  friends  which 
it  was  in  her  power  to  avert.  She  could  go  forth  alone, 
trusting  in  herself  and  her  ability  to  encounter  and 
overcome  danger.  Of  course  the  sheikh  professed  his 
objection  to  her  determination,  and  candidly  told  her 
that  though,  if  she  left  them,  they  would  be  instantly 
able  to  negotiate  the  conditions  of  an  arrangement,  yet 
they  could  do  nothing  for  her,  and  that  the  enemy's 
horsemen  would  sweep  the  desert  so  closely  as  to  render 
impossible  her  escape  into  any  other  district. 

No  fear  of  danger,  however,  could  move  the  calm, 
courageous  soul  of  Lady  Hester.     She  bade  farewell  to 


3IO  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

the  tribe,  turned  her  horse's  head,  and  rode  away  into 
the  wilderness  alone.  Hour  after  hour  passed  away, 
and  still,  with  the  hot  sun  overhead,  and  round  her  the 
solitude  of  the  desert,  she  rode  onward.  Suddenly  her 
keen  eye  sighted  some  horsemen  in  the  distance.  They 
drew  nearer  and  nearer;  evidently  they  were  making 
direct  towards  her ;  and  eventually  some  hundreds  of 
fully-armed  Bedawun  galloped  up  to  her,  with  fierce, 
hoarse  shouts,  brandishing  their  spears  as  if  they  thirsted 
for  her  blood.  Her  face,  at  the  time,  was  covered,  as  is 
the  Eastern  custom,  with  her  yashmak ;  but  just  as  the 
spears  of  the  foremost  horsemen  glittered  close  to  her 
horse's  head,  she  raised  her  stately  figure  in  her  stirrups, 
drew  aside  the  yashmak  that  veiled  her  majestic  coun- 
tenance, waved  her  arm  slowly  and  disdainfully,  and 
with  a  loud  voice  cried,   "  Avaunt  I " 

The  horsemen,  we  are  told,*  recoiled  from  her  glance, 
but  not  in  terror.  "  The  threatening  yells  of  the  assail- 
ants were  suddenly  changed  for  loud  shouts  of  joy  and 
admiration  at  the  bravery  of  the  stately  Englishwoman, 
and  festive  gunshots  were  fired  on  all  sides  around  her 
honoured  head.  The  truth  was  that  the  party  belonged 
to  the  tribe  with  which  she  had  allied  herself,  and  that 
the  threatened  attack,  as  well  as  the  pretended  apprehen- 
sion of  an  engagement,  had  been  contrived  for  the  mere 
purpose  of  testing  her  courage.  The  day  ended  in  a 
great  feast,  prepared  to  do  honour  to  the  heroine,  and 

•  ••  Eotheii,"  pp.  S7,  88. 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  311 

cfrom  that  time  her  power  over  the  minds  of  the  people 
giew  rapidly." 

This  was  probably  the  happiest,  or  at  least  the  most 

•successful,  period   of  her   career.     Her  ambition   was 

satisfied — she  felt  herself  a  power;  her  pride  received 

no  wounds,  and   her  will    no  check.      But  by  degrees 

•clouds  gathered  on  the  horizon  :   her  subjects,  if  ever 

they  were  her  subjects,  grew  impatient  of  a  rule  which 

did  not  fulfil  their  longings  after  military  empire.      Hei 

immense   expenditure   told   upon   her   fortune,   and   its 

.gradual    diminution    compelled    her    to    withhold    the 

presents  she   had   formerly  bestowed  with   so  lavish  a 

hand.      She    awoke    at    last    to   a   perception   of   the 

hollowness  of  her  authority.      Meanwhile,  many  of  the 

-attendants  wno  had  accompanied  her  from  Europe  died  \ 

others  returned  to  their  native  country.     She  was  left 

-almost  alone   in   her    Lebanon   retreat,    with   only  the 

shadow   of  her   former  power.      The   sense   of  failure 

must  have  been  very  bitter,  but  she  bore  herself  with 

-all  her  wonted  pride,  and  made  neither  complaint  nor 

•confession.     Without   bestowing  a  regret   on  the  past, 

she  encountered    misfortune    and    ingratitude   with    a 

composed   countenance,    facing    them   as   fearlessly   as 

she  had  faced  the  Bedawun  of  the  desert     She  yielded 

nothing,  either  to  the  old  age  which  was  creeping  upon 

her,  or  the  desertion  of  the  ungrateful  wretches  who  had 

profited  so  largely  by  her  generosity.     Alone  she  Hved, 

Hvith   the   great   mountain   peaks   closing   in   upon   her 


313  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

remote  abode — without  books,  without  friends ;  attendedl 
by  a   few  young  negresses,  a  few  black  slaves,  and  av 
handful    of    Arab   peasants,   who   took   charge   of   her- 
gardens  and  stables,  and  watched  over  the  safety  of  her- 
person.      The  love  of  power,   however,  was  still  strong 
within  her,  and  as  her  worldly  authority  slipped  away,, 
she   endeavoured   to   replace    it    by   a   spiritual.      The 
energy  of  her  temper  and  the  extraordinary  force  of  hei 
character  found   expression  in   exalted   religious   ideas, 
in  which  the  "illuminationism"  of  Europe  was  strangely 
blended  with  the  subtleties  of  the  Oriental  faiths  andl 
the  mysteries  of  mediaeval  astrology.     To  what  extreme 
they  carried  her  it  is  difficult  to  say.     It  has  been  hinted  i 
that  she  dreamed   of  being  united  in  a  nuptial  union, 
with    her    Saviour,    reviving    the    old    illusion    of   St. 
Catherine  of  Si^na.    There  is  no  doubt  that  at  times  she 
claimed  to  be  the  possessor  of  divine  power;  there  is- 
no  doubt  that  she  was  not  always  a  believer  in  her  own 
claims.    Her  intellect  was  too  strong  for  her  imagination. 
As  Miss  Martineau  remarks,  "She  saw  and  knew  things- 
which  others  could  not  see  or  know ;  she  had  curious 
glimpses  of  prescience ;  but  she  could  not  depend  upon  her 
powers,  nor  always  separate  realities  from  mere  dreams." 

Occasionally  a  visitor  from  the  active  world  of  the- 
West  broke  in  upon  her  loneliness. — but  only  by  per- 
mission— and,  if  he  were  a  man  of  quick  sympathies,, 
would  draw  her  out  of  herself.  Her  revelations,  underi 
such  circumstances,  were  always  of  deep  interest. 


LADV  HESTER  STANHOPE.  ^\y, 

Alphonse  de  Lamartine,  the  French  poet,  orator,  and 
man  of  letters,  obtained  admission  to  her  presence,, 
though  not  without  difficulty,  in  1832,  when  she  was- 
standing  on  the  threshold  of  old  age.  He  has  left  us  a. 
graphic  record  of  the  interview. 

It  was  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  when  he  was- 
informed  that  Lady  Hester  was  ready  to  receive  him. 
After  traversing  a  court,  a  garden,  a  day-kiosk,  with, 
jasmine  hangings,  then  two  or  three  gloomy  corridors, 
a  small  negro  boy  introduced  him  into  her  cabinet.  So- 
profound  an  obscurity  prevailed  there,  that  at  first  he 
could  scarcely  distinguish  the  noble,  grave,  sweet,  yet 
majestic  features  of  the  white  figure  which,  clothed  in 
Oriental  costume,  rose  from  her  couch,  and  extended  to 
him  her  hands. 

To  her  visitor  Lady  Hester  seemed  about  fifty  years  of 
age;  she  was  really  fifty-six;  she  was  stil  beautiful — 
beautiful  with  that  beauty  which  lies  in  the  form  itself, 
in  the  purity  of  the  lines,  in  the  majesty,  the  thought 
which  irradiate  the  countenance.  On  her  head  she  wore 
a  white  turban  ;  from  her  forehead  a  veil,  or  yashmak,  of 
purple  wool  fell  down  to  her  shoulders.  A  long  shawl  of 
yellow  cashmere,  an  ample  Turkish  robe  of  white  silk, 
with  hanging  sleeves,  enveloped  her  whole  person  in  their 
simple  and  majestic  folds  ;  so  that  you  could  but  catch  a 
glimpse,  where  this  outer  tunic  opened  on  the  bosom,  of 
a  second  robe  of  Persian  stuff,  which  was  fastened  at 
the  throat  by  a  clasp  of  pearls.  Turkish  boots  of  yellow- 
morocco,  embroidered  in  silk,  completed  her  costume. 


314  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

"  You  have  come  a  great  distance,"  said  Lady  Hester 
to  her  visitor,*  "to  see  a  hermit;  you  are  welcome. 
I  receive  few  strangers,  but  your  letter  pleased  me,  and 
I  felt  anxious  to  know  a  person  who,  like  myself,  loved 
■God,  and  nature,  and  solitude.  Something  told  me, 
moreover,  that  our  stars  were  friendly,  and  that  our 
sympathies  would  prove  a  bond  of  union.  Be  seated, 
and  let  us  converse. 

"You  are  one  of  those  men,"  she  said,  "whom  1 
■await ;  whom  Providence  sends  to  me ;  who  have  a  great 
part  to  accomplish  in  the  work  that  Fate  is  getting  ready. 
You  will  shortly  return  to  Europe.  Well,  Europe  is 
worn  out;  France  alone  has  a  great  mission  before  her; 
in  this  you  will  participate,  though  I  know  not  how,  but 
I  can  tell  you  this  evening  if  you  wish  it,  after  I  have 
•consulted  the  stars." 

"  As  yet,"  she  continued — evidently  her  keen  percep- 
tion had  detected  her  visitor's  vanity,  and  she  skilfully 
played  upon  it — "  as  yet,  I  do  not  know  the  names  of 
all.  I  see  more  than  three,  however ;  I  can  distinguish 
four,  perhaps  five,  and — who  knows? — still  more.  One 
-of  them  is  certainly  Mercury^  which  bestows  clearness 
and  colour  upon  intelligence  and  speech.  You  will 
'become  a  poet — I  see  it  in  your  eyes,  and  in  the  upper 
part  of  your  face ;  in  the  lower  you  are  under  the  sway 

*  Alphonse  de  Lamartine :  "Voyage  en  Orient."  Lamartine's 
version  of  Lady  Hester's  conversation  is  sometimes  of  dubious 
jiccuracy. 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  31s 

of  widely  different  stars,  almost  all  of  them  of  opposite 
characters.  I  discern,  too,  the  influence  of  the  sun  in 
the  pose  of  your  head,  and  in  the  manner  in  which  you 
throw  it  back  on  the  left  shoulder.    What  is  your  name  1  "^ 

Lamartine,  who  had  already  won  distinction  as  a  poet, 
told  her. 

"  I  had  never  heard  it,"  she  exclaimed,  with  a  con- 
vincing accent  of  sincerity;  "but,  poet  or  not,  I  like 
you,  and  have  hope  for  you." 

"  Go,"  she  added ;  "  dinner  is  served.  Dine  quickly, 
and  return  soon.  I  go  to  meditate  upon  you,  and  to 
see  more  clearly  into  the  confusion  of  my  ideas  respect- 
ing your  person  and  your  future." 

Lamartine  had  scarcely  concluded  his  dinner  when 
Lady  Hester  sent  for  him.  He  found  her  smoking  a 
long  Oriental  pipe,  the  fellow  of  which  she  ordered  to  be 
brought  for  his  own  use.  Accustomed  to  see  the  most 
graceful  women  of  the  East  with  their  tchibouques,  he  was 
neither  surprised  nor  shocked  by  the  gracious,  non- 
chalant attitude,  or  the  light  wreaths  of  perfumed  smoke 
issuing  from  Lady  Hester's  finely  curved  lips,  interrupt- 
ing the  conversation  without  chilling  it.  They  conversed 
together  for  a  long  time  upon  the  favourite  subject— the 
unique,  mysterious  theme  of  that  extraordinary  woman, 
or  the  modern  Circe  of  the  Desert,  who  so  completely 
recalled  to  mind  the  famous  female  magicians  of 
antiquity.  The  religious  opinions  of  Lady  Hester  seemed 
to  her  guest  a  skilful  though  confused  mixture  of  the 


.3 1 6  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

various  creeds  among  which  she  was  condemned — or 
fhad  condemned  herself — to  live. 

'*  Mystical  as  the  Druses,  with  whose  mysterious 
•secrets  she  alone,  perhaps,  in  the  world,  was  acquainted, 
resigned  like  the  Mussulman,  and  as  fatalistic;  with 
'the  Jew,  expectant  of  the  Messiah's  coming;  with  the 
Christian,  a  worshipper  of  Christ,  whose  beneficent 
morality  she  practised — she  invested  the  whole  in  the 
fantastic  colours  and  supernatural  dreams  of  an  imagina- 
tion steeped  in  the  light  of  the  East,  and,  it  would  seem, 
the  revelations  of  the  Arabian  astrologists.  A  strange 
and  yet  sublime  medley,  which  it  is  much  easier  to  stig- 
imatize  as  lunatic  than  to  analyze  and  comprehend.  But 
Lady  Hester  Stanhope  was  no  lunatic.  Madness,  which 
reveals  itself  only  too  clearly  in  the  victim's  eyes,  was 
not  to  be  detected  in  her  frank,  direct  look — madness, 
which  invariably  betrays  itself  in  conversation,  which 
it  involuntarily  interrupts  by  sudden,  irregular,  and 
eccentric  outbreaks,  was  nowhere  discernible  in  Lady 
Hester's  exalted,  mystical,  and  cloudy,  but  sustained, 
•connected  and  vigorous  monologues. 

"  If,"  adds  M.  de  Lamartine,  "  I  were  to  offer  an 
opinion,  I  should  rather  say  it  was  a  voluntary  and 
•studied  madness,  which  knew  what  it  was  about, 
and  had  its  own  reasons  for  posing  as  madness.  The 
patent  admiration  which  her  genius  has  excited,  and 
still  excites,  among  the  Arab  tribes,  is  a  sufficient 
proof  that  this  pretended  insanity  is  only  a  means  to 
an  end." 


LADV  HESTER  STANHOPE.  317 

111  the  course  01"  conversation,  Lady  Hester  suddenly 

-said  to  her  guest  : 

"  I  hope  that  you  are  an  aristocrat ;  but  I  cannot  doubt 

•it  when  I  look  at  you." 

"  You  are  mistaken,  madam,"  repHed  the  man  of  senti- 
ment, "I  am  neither  aristocrat  nor  democrat;  I  have 
lived  long  enough  to  see  both  sides  of  the  medal  of 
humanity,  and  to  find  them  equally  hollow.  No,  I  am 
neither  aristocrat  nor  democrat ;  I  am  a  man,  and  an^ 

.ardent  partisan  of  all  which  can   ameliorate  ^nd  perfect 

•the  whole  man,  whether  he  be  born  at  the  summit  or  at 
the  foot  of  the  social  ladder.  I  am  neither  for  the  people 
nor  the  great,  but  for  all  humanity  ;  and  I  am  unable  to 
believe  that  either  aristocratic  or  democratic  institutions 
possess  the  exclusive  virtue  of  raising  humanity  to  the 
highest  standard  This  virtue  lies  only  in  a  divine 
morality,  the  fruit  of  a  perfect  religion  !  The  civiliza- 
tion of  the  peoples — it  is  their  faith  !  " 

We  shall  shortly  see  that  Lady  Hester,  with  her  quick 
insight  into  character,  an  insight  sharpened  by  long  and 
varied  experience,  took  "  the  measure  "  of  her  visitor  very 

.accurately,  and  rightly  estimated  the  vanity,  self-con- 
sciousness, and  inflated  sentimentality  which  weakened 
the  genius  of  Lamartine  and  marred  his  career,  both  for 
his  country  and  himself. 

She  invited  him  to  visit  her  garden — a  sanctuary  into 
which  the  profanum  viilgus  were  never  allowed  to 
penetrate.  Here  is  his  description  ol  it,  somewhat 
•exaggerated  in  colouring  : — 


3i8  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

'*  Gloomy  trellises,  the  verdurous  roofs  of  which  bore,, 
like  thousands  of  lustres,  the  gleaming  grapes  of  t he- 
Promised  Land  ;  kiosks,  where  carved  arabesques^ 
were  entert^vined  with  jasmines  and  climbing  plants,  the- 
lianas  of  Asia ;  basins,  into  which  the  waters — artificial 
they  are  here — flowed  from  afar  to  leap  and  murmur  in 
the  marble  jets  of  alleys  lined  with  all  the  fruit  trees^ 
of  England,  of  Europe,  and  of  the  sunny  Eastern 
climates ;  green  leaves  besprinkled  with  blossoming 
shrubs,  and  marble  beds  enclosing  sheaves  of  flowers." 

She  also  exhibited  to  her  famous  guest,  if,  indeed,  he- 
may  be  implicitly  credited,  the  noted  mare  which  realized 
ancient  prophecy,  in  which  nature  had  accomplished  all 
that  is  written  on  the  animal  destined  to  the  honour  of^ 
carrying  the  Messiah — "  She  will  be  born  ready  saddled/' 
He  says  :  "And  in  truth,  I  saw,  on  this  beautiful  animal,  a 
freak  of  nature,  rare  enough  to  encourage  the  illusion  or 
a  vulgar  credulity  among  half-barbarous  peoples  :  instead 
of  shoulders,  she  had  a  cavity  so  broad  and  deep,  and 
so  exactly  imitating  the  shape  of  a  Turkish  saddle,  that 
one  might  truthfully  say  she  was  born  ready  saddled,  and, 
with  stirrups  at  hand,  one  might  readily  have  mounted 
her  without  a  saddle."     This   magnificent  bay  mare  was- 
the  object  of  profound  respect  and  admiration  on  the- 
part  of  Lady  Stanhope  and  her  slaves  ;  she  had  never 
been  ridden,  and  a  couple  of  Arab  grooms  cared  for 
her  and  watched  her  carefully,  never  losing  sight  of  her^ 

A    few    years    later,    and     the    brilliant    author  (f\^ 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  319 

•*  Eothen,"  Mr.  A.  W.  Kinglake,  while  travelling  in  the 
East,  made  his  way  to  Lady  Hester's  Lebanon  retreat. 
She  had  been  the  friend  of  his  mother,  and  consequently 
he  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  admission. 

In  the  first  court  which  he  entered  a  number  of 
fierce-looking  and  ill-clad  Albanian  soldiers  were  hanging 
about  the  place,  a  couple  of  them  smoking  their  tchi- 
bouques,  the  remainder  lying  torpidly  upon  the  flat 
stones.  He  rode  on  to  an  inner  part  of  the  building, 
dismounted,  and  passed  through  a  doorway  that  led  him 
at  once  from  an  open  court  into  an  apartment  on  the 
ground  floor.  There  he  was  received  by  Lady  Hester's 
doctor,  with  a  command  from  the  doctor's  mistress  that 
her  visitor  would  rest  and  refresh  himself  after  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey.  After  dinner,  which  was  of 
the  usual  Oriental  kind,  but  included  the  -wine  of  the 
Lebanon,  he  was  conducted  into  a  small  chamber  wheie 
sat  the  lady  prophetess.  She  rose  from  her  seat  very 
formally,  uttered  a  few  words  of  welcome,  pointed  to  a 
chair  placed  exactly  opposite  to  her  sofa,  at  two  yards*^ 
distance,  and  remained  standing  up  to  the  full  of  her 
majestic  height,  perfectly  still  and  motionless,  until  he- 
had  taken  his  appointed  position.  She  then  resumed  her- 
seat — not  after  the  fashion  of  the  Orientals — but  allow- 
ing her  feet  to  rest  on  the  floor  or  footstool,  and  covering; 
her  lap  with  a  mass  of  loose  white  drapery.* 

*  "  Eothen,"  pp.  81,  82.  In  the  following  narrative  we  very  frc* 
quently  adopt,  with  slight  alteration  and  condensation,  Mr.  Kirij.- 
Iftke's  language. 


S-io  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

The  woman  before  him  had  exactly  the  person  oi  a 
prophetess ;  not,  indeed,  of  the  divine  Sibyl,  imagined 
by  Dammichino,  but  of  a  good,  business-like,  practical 
prophetess,  long  used  to  ''he  exercise  of  her  sacred 
calling.  Her  large  commandingr  featores  reminded  him 
of  the  gr^^t  statesman,  he^  grandfather,  as  he  is  seen  in 
Copley's  famous  picture;  her  face  was  of  surprising 
whiteness ;  she  wore  a  very  large  turban,  composed  of 
pale  cashmere  shawls,  and  so  arranged  as  to  conceal 
the  hair;  her  dress,  from  i^ie  chin  down  to  the 
point  at  which  it  was  concealed  by  the  drapery  on 
lier  lap,  was  a  mass  of  white  linen  loosely  folding — 
.an  ecclesiastical  sort  of  affair — more  like  a  surplice 
than  any  of  those  blessec*  creations  which  our  souls 
love  under  the  names  of  "  dress,"  and  "  frock,"  and 
•**  bodice,"  and  "  collar,"  and  "  habit-shirt,"  and  sweet 
***  chemisette." 

Such  was  the  outward  seeming  of  Lady  Hester  Stan- 
ihope,  the  grand-daughter  of  Chatham,  the  adviser  of 
iPitt,  the  Queen  of  Palmyra,  the  prophetess  of  the 
Lebanon — she  who,  in  her  life,  had  played  so  many 
parts,  but  in  all  had  given  full  rein  to  her  master-passion, 
pride.  And  assuredly  the  moralist  who,  commenting  on 
the  disastrous  effect  of  this  passion,  should  need  an 
illustration  to  point  his  moral  and  adorn  his  tale,  could 
find  none  more  striking  than  Lady  Hester  Stanhope's 
career  affords. 

A  couple  of  black   slaves  appeared  at  a  signal,  ami 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  321 

supplied   their    mistress  and    her   visitor   with    lighted 
tchibouques  and  coffee. 

"  The  custom  of  the  East  sanctions,  and  almost 
commands,  some  moments  of  silence  whilst  you  are 
inhaling  the  first  few  breaths  of  the  fragrant  pipe.  The 
pause  was  broken,  I  think,  by  my  lady,  who  addressed 
to  me  some  inquiries  respecting  my  mother,  and 
particularly  as  to  her  marriage;  but  before  I  had 
communicated  any  great  amount  of  family  facts,  the 
spirit  of  the  prophetess  kindled  within  her,  and  presently 
{though  with  all  the  skill  of  a  woman  of  the  world)  she 
•shuffled  away  the  subject  of  poor,  dear  Somersetshire, 
And  bounded  onward  into  other  spheres  of  thought.  .  .  . 

"  For  hours  and  hours  this  wondrous  white  woman 
poured  forth  her  speech,  for  the  most  part  concerning 
sacred  and  profane  mysteries ;  but  every  now  and  then 
she  would  stay  her  lofty  flight,  and  swoop  down  upon 
the  world  again.  Whenever  this  happened  I  was 
interested  in  her  conversation." 

In  reference  to  her  mode  of  life,  she  informed  her 
guest  that  for  her  sin,  or  sins,  she  had  subjected  herself 
(luring  many  years  to  severe  penance,  and  that  her  self- 
denial  had  not  been  without  reward.  "  Vain  and  false," 
.she  declared,  "was  all  the  pretended  knowledge  of  the 
Europeans.  Their  doctors  asserted  that  the  drinking  of 
milk  gave  yellowness  to  the  complexion ;  yet  milk  was 
her  only  food,  and  was  not  her  face  white?"  Her 
intellectual    abstemiousness   was    not   less   severe   than 


322  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

her  physical  self-denial.  Upon  book  or  newspaper 
she  never  cast  a  glance,  but  trusted  wholly  to  the  stais 
for  her  sublime  knowledge.  Her  nights  she  usually 
spent  in  absorbed  communion  with  these  silent  but 
eloquent  teachers,  and  took  her  rest  during  the  daytime. 
She  spoke  contemptuously  of  the  frivolity  and  benighted 
ignorance  of  the  modern  Europeans,  and  gave  as  a  proof 
their  ignorance  not  only  of  astrology,  but  of  the  common 
and  every-day  phenomena  produced  by  the  magic  art. 
She  evidently  desired  her  hearer  to  believe  that  she  had 
at  her  command  all  the  spells  which  exercise  control 
over  the  creatures  of  the  unseen  world,  but  refrained 
from  employing  them  because  it  would  be  derogatory 
to  her  exalted  rank  in  the  heavenly  kingdom.  She  said 
that  the  charm  by  which  the  face  of  an  absent  person 
is  thrown  upon  a  mirror  lay  within  the  reach  of  the 
humblest  magicians,  but  that  the  practice  of  such  arts 
was  unholy  as  well  as  vulgar. 

Reference  was  made  to  the  divining  rod  or  twig 
(Virgil's  "Aurea  virga"*),  by  means  of  which  precious 
metals  may  be  discovered. 

"  In  relation  to  this,"  says  Kinglake,  "  the  prophetess 
told  me  a  story  rather  against  herself,  and  inconsistent 

*  The  branch  which  obtains  ^neas  admission  to  the  shade* 
(^neid,  Book  vi.) — 

*'  This  branch  at  least  " — and  here  she  showed 

The  branch  within  her  raiment  stowed — 
**  You  needs  must  own  "... 
He  answers  not,  but  eyes  the  slieen 
Of  the  blest  bough. 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  323 

with  the  notion  of  her  being  perfect  in  her  science ;  but 
I  think  that  she  mentioned  the  facts  as  having  happened 
before  she  attained  to  the  great  spiritual  authorit}'  which 
she  now  arrogated.  She  told  me  that  vast  treasures 
were  known  to  exist  in  a  situation  which  she  mentioned, 
if  I  remember  rightly,  as  being  near  Suez;  that 
Napoleon,  profanely  brave,  thrust  his  arm  into  the  cave 
-containing  the  coveted  gold,  and  that  instantly  his  flesh 
became  palsied.  But  the  youthful  hero  (for  she  said  he 
was  great  in  his  generation)  was  not  to  be  thus  daunted ; 
he  fell  back,  characteristically,  upon  his  brazen  resources, 
and  ordered  up  his  artillery ;  yet  man  could  not  strive 
with  demons,  and  Napoleon  was  foiled.  In  latter  years 
■came  Ibrahim  Pasha,  with  heavy  guns  and  wicked  spells 
to  boot,  but  the  infernal  guardians  of  the  treasure  were 
too  strong  for  him.  It  was  after  this  that  Lady  Hester 
passed  by  the  spot ;  and  she  described,  with  animated 
gesture,  the  force  and  energy  with  which  the  divining, 
twig  had  suddenly  leaped  in  her  hands.  She  ordered 
excavations,  and  no  demon  opposed  her  enterprise. 
The  vast  chest  in  which  the  treasure  had  been  de- 
posited was  at  length  discovered  ;  but,  lo  and  behold  ! 
it  was  full  of  pebbles  !  She  said,  however,  that  the 
times  were  approaching  in  which  the  hidden  treasure 
of  the  earth  would  become  available  to  those  who  had 
''*  true  knowledge." 

Among  the  subjects  on  which  Lady  Hester  dis 
coursed,  with  equal  fluency  and  earnestness,  were 
religion  and  race.     On  the   first  head   she   announced 


.324  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

that  the  Messiah  was  yet  to  come ,  on  the  second,  she- 
expressed  her  lovv  opinion  of  Norman,  and  her  high 
opinion  of  ancient  French,  blood.  Occasionally  she- 
descended  to  inferior  topics,  and  displayed  her  con- 
spicuous abilities  as  a  mimic  and  satirist.  She  spoke 
of  Lord  Byron,  and  ridiculed  his  petty  affectations, 
and  sham  Orientalism.  For  Lamartine  she  had  still 
less  mercy.  His  morbid  self  consciousness  and  exag- 
gerated refinement  of  manner,  had  excited  her  con- 
tempt. Indeed,  she  seems  to  have  cherished  an  abun- 
dant scorn  of  everything  approaching  to  exquisiteness 
or  "  aestheticism." 

Next  day,  at  her  request,  he  paid  her  a  second  visit. 
**  Really,"  said  she,  when  he  had  taken  his  seat  and  his. 
pipe,  "we  were  together  for  hours  last  night,  and  still  I 
have  heard  nothing  at  all  of  my  old  friends ;  now  do 
tell  me  something  of  your  dear  mother  and  her  sister ; 
I  never  knew  your  father — it  was  after  I  left  Burton- 
Pynsent  that  your  mother  married."  Kinglake  began 
to  furnish  the  desired  particulars ;  but  his  questioner 
could  not  long  attend  to  them  She  soared  away  to- 
loftier  topics;  so  that  the  second  interview,  though  it 
lasted  two  or  three  hours,  was  all  occupied  by  her 
mystical,  theological,  transcendental,  necromantical  dis- 
course, in  which  she  displayed  the  expressiveness,  if 
not  the  glowing  eloquence,  of  a  Coleridge. 

In  the  course  of  the  afternoon,  the  captain  of  an 
English  man-of-war  arrived  at  Djoun,  and  Lady  Hester 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  Z2\ 

resolved  on  receiving  him  for  the  same  reason  as  that 
which  had  governed  her  reception  of  Mr.  Kinglake, 
namely,  an  early  intimacy  with  his  family.  He  proved 
to  be  a  pleasant  and  amusing  guest,  and  all  three  sat 
smoking  until  midnight,  conversing  chiefly  upon  magical 
science. 

'•  Lady  Hester's  unholy  claim  to  supremacy  in  the 
spiritual  kingdom  was,  no  doubt,  the  suggestion  of  fierce 
and  inordinate  pride,  most  perilously  akin  to  madness ; 
but  I  am  quite  sure,"  says  Mr.  Kinglake,  "that  the 
mind  of  the  woman  was  too  strong  to  be  thoroughly 
overcome  by  even  this  potent  feeling.  I  plainly  saw 
that  she  was  not  an  unhesitating  follower  of  her  own 
system  ;  and  I  even  fancied  that  I  could  distinguish 
the  brief  moments  during  which  she  contrived  to 
believe  in  herself,  from  those  long  and  less  happy 
intervals  in  which  her  own  reason  was  too  strong  for 
her. 

"  As  for  the  lady's  faith  in  astrology  and  magic  science, 
you  are  not  for  a  moment  to  suppose  that  this  implied 
any  aberration  of  intellect.  She  believed  these  things  in 
common  mth  those  around  her ;  and  it  could  scarcely 
be  otherwise,  for  she  seldom  spoke  to  anybody,  except 
crazy  old  dervishes,  who  at  once  received  her  alms  and 
fostered  her  extravagances ;  and  even  when  (as  on  the 
occasion  of  my  visit)  she  was  brought  into  contact  with 
a  person  entertaining  different  notions,  she  still  remained 
uncontradicted.  This  eniouragey  and  the  habit  of 
fasting  from  books  and  newspapers,  was  quite   enough 


326  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

to    make  her    a    facile    recipient    of    any    marvellous 
story/'* 

After  Lady  Hester's  death,  a  visit  was  paid  to  the 
place  which  had  been  her  residence  for  so  many  years, 
by  Major  Eliot  Warburton,  the  accomplished  author  of 
"The  Crescent  and  the  Cross."  He  speaks  of  the 
buildings,  that  constituted  the  palace,  as  of  a  very  scat- 
tered and  complicated  description,  covering  a  wide  space, 
but  only  one  story  in  height ;  courts  and  gardens,  stables 
and  sleeping  rooms,  halls  of  audience  and  ladies' 
bowers,  all  strangely  intermingled.  Heavy  weeds  clam- 
bered about  the  open  portals  and  a  tangle  of  roses  and 
jasmine  blocked  the  way  to  the  inner  court,  where  the 
flowers  no  longer  bloomed  and  the  fountains  had  ceased 
to  play  in  the  marble  basins.  At  nightfall  when  Major 
Warburton's  escort  had  lighted  their  watch-fires,  the 
lurid  gleam  fell  strangely  upon  masses  of  honeysuckle 
and  woodbine ;  on  the  white,  mouldering  walls  beneath, 
and  the  dark,  waving  trees  above ;  while  the  quaint 
picture  seemed  appropriately  filled  up  by  the  group  of 
wild  mountaineers,  with  their  long  beards  and  vivid 
dresses,  who  gathered  around  the  cheerful  blaze. 

Next  morning,  Major  Warburton  explored  the  spacious 
gajdens.  "  Here  many  a  broken  arbour  and  trellis  bending 
under  masses  of  jasmine  and  honeysuckle,  showed  the 
care  and  taste  that  were  once  lavished  on  this  wild  but 


Eothen,"  pp.  97,  98 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  327 

"beautiful  hermitage  :  a  garden-house,  surrounded  by  an 
-enclosure  of  roses  run  wild,  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  grove 
of  myrtle  and  bay  trees.  This  was  Lady  Hester's 
favourite  resort  during  her  life-time,  and  now,  within  its 
•silent  enclosure, 

"'After  life's  fitful  fever  she  sleeps  well.*** 

It  is  painful  to  know  that  in  her  last  illness  she  was 

•shamefully  deserted.      Mr.  Moore,  the  English  consul  at 

Beyrout,  on  hearing  that  she  was  stricken,  rode  across 

the    mountains    to    visit    her,    accompanied    by    Mr. 

Thompson,  the  American  missionary.      It  was  evening 

when  they  arrived,  and  silence  reigned  in  the  palace. 

No  attendants  met  them.     They  lighted  their  own  lamps 

in  the  outer  court,  and  passed  unquestioned    through 

•court  and  gallery  until  they  reached  the  room  where  she 

lay — dead.    "A  corpse  was  the  only  inhabitant  of  the 

palace,  and  the  isolation  from  her  kind  which  she  had 

sought  so  long  was  indeed  complete.       That  morning, 

thirty-seven  servants  had  watched  every  motion  of  her 

-eye ;  its  spell  once  darkened  by  death,  every  one  fled  with 

such  plunder  as  they  could  secure.    A  little  girl,  adopted 

by  her,  and  maintained  for  years,  took  her  watch  and 

-5ome   papers   on   which    she   had   set   peculiar    value. 

Neither  the  child  nor  the  property  was  ever  seen  again. 

Not  a  single  thing  was  left  in  the  room  where  she  lay 

•^ead,  except  the  ornaments  upon  her  person  :  no  one  had 

ventured  to  take  these ;    even  in  death  she  seemed  able 

ito  protect  herself.    At  midnight,  her  countryman  and  the 


328  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

missionary  carried  her  out  by  torchlight  to  a  spot  ini 
the  garden  that  had  been  formerly  her  favourite  resort,, 
and  there  they  buried  the  self-exiled  lady." 

Some  curious  particulars  of  Lady  Hester  Stanhope's, 
mode  of  life  in  its  closing  years  are  recorded  by  her 
physician.     She  seldom  rose  from  her  bed  until  between 
two  and  five  in  the  afternoon,  and  seldom  retired  before 
the  same  hours  in  the  morning.    It  was  sunset  before  the: 
day's  business  really  began.     Not  that  the  servants  were 
permitted  to  remain  idle  during  daylight.     On  the  con- 
trary, their  work  was  assigned  to  them  over-night,  atd 
their  mistress  employed  the  evening  hours  in  arranging 
their  occupations  for  the  following  day.     When  this  was 
done,  she  wrote  her  letters  and  plunged  into  those  end- 
less conversations  which  seem  to  have  been  her  sole,  or,, 
at  all  events,  her  chief  pleasure.     She  always  showed  a 
reluctance,  an   air  of  unwillingness,  to  retire;    not   an. 
unusual  characteristic  in  persons  of  her  peculiar  tempera- 
ment.      When  the  room  was  ready,  one  of  her  two  girls, 
Zezeforn  or  Faloom,  would  precede  her  to  it,  bearing, 
wax  tapers  in  their  hands. 

Her  bedstead  might  have  suited  a  veteran  campaigner;, 
it  consisted  simply  of  a  few  planks  nailed  together  on. 
low  tressels.  On  these  planks,  which  sloped  slightly 
towards  the  foot,  was  spread  a  mattress,  seven  feet  long 
and  about  four  and  a  half  feet  broad.  Instead  of  sheets, 
she  had  Barbary  blankets,  vvhich  are  like  the  finest 
English,  two  over  and  one  under  her.  There  was  no 
counterpane,  but,  as  occasion  required,  a  woollen  abak 


LADV  I/ESTER  STANHOPE.  329. 

or  cloak  would  be  used  or  a  fur  pelisse.  Her  pillow-case 
was  of  Turkish  silk,  and  under  it  was  another  covered, 
with  coloured  cotton.  Behind  this  were  two  more  of  silk», 
ready  at  hand,  if  needed. 

Her  dress  for  the  night  was  a  chemise  of  silk  and 
cotton,  a  white  quilted  jacket,  a  short  pelisse,  a. 
turban  on  her  head,  and  a  keffeyah  tied  under  her  chin 
in  the  same  manner  as  when  she  was  up,  with  a  shawl 
over  the  back  of  her  head  and  shoulders.  It  is  rather  a. 
puzzle  how  she  could  enjoy  in  this  full  panoply  any  sound 
or  refreshing  repose. 

No  man  is  said  to  be  a  hero  to  his  valet ;  I  suppose, 
the  proverb  may  be  applied  in  the  case  of  his  physician. 
Certainly,  Lady  Hester  Stanhope's  medical  attendant 
does  not  forget  to  expose  her  weaknesses.  "  As  it  had 
become,"  he  says,  ''a  habit  with  her  to  find  nothing  well 
done,  when  she  entered  her  bedroom,  it  was  rare  that 
the  bed  was  made  to  her  hking;  and,  generally,  she 
ordered  it  to  be  made  over  again  in  her  presence.  Whilst 
this  was  doing,  she  would  smoke  her  pipe,  then  call  for- 
the  sugar  basin  to  eat  two  or  three  lumps  of  sugar,  then 
for  a  clove  to  take  away  the  mawkish  taste  of  the  sugar. 
The  girls,  in  the  meantime,  would  go  on  making  the  bed, 
and  be  saluted  every  now  and  then,  for  some  mark  of 
stupidity,  with  all  sorts  of  appellations.  The  night-lami> 
was  then  lighted,  a  couple  of  yellow  wax  lights  were 
placed  ready  for  use  in  the  recess  of  the  window,  and  all 
things  being  apparently  done  for  the  night,  she  would 
ct  into  bed,  and  the  maid  whose  turn  it  was  to  sleep 


530  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

in  the  room  (for  latterly  she  always  had  one)  having 
placed  herself,  dressed  as  she  was,  on  her  mattress  behind 
the  curtain  which  ran  across  the  room,  the  other  servant 
was  dismissed.  But  hardly  had  she  shut  the  door  and 
reached  her  own  sleeping-room,  flattering  herself  that  her 
day's  work  was  over,  when  the  bell  would  ring,  and  she 
was  told  to  get  broth  or  lemonade  or  orgeat  directly. 
This,  when  brought,  was  a  new  trial  for  the  maids.  Lady 
Hester  Stanhope  took  it  on  a  tray  placed  on  her  lap  as 
she  sat  up  in  bed,  and  it  was  necessary  for  one  of  the 
two  servants  to  hold  the  candle  in  one  hand  and  shade 
the  light  from  her  mistress's  eyes  with  the  other.  The 
contents  of  the  basin  were  sipped  once  or  twice  and  sent 
away ;  or,  if  she  ate  a  small  bit  of  dried  toast,  it  was  con- 
sidered badly  made,  and  a  fresh  piece  was  ordered, 
perhaps  not  to  be  touched." 

In  what  follows  we  are  almost  inclined  to  suspect 
a  degree  of  exaggeration.  Dr.  Meryon  says  that  the  dish 
being  removed,  the  maid  would  again  depart,  and  throw 
herself  on  her  bed ;  and,  as  she  wanted  no  rocking,  in 
ten  minutes  would  be  asleep.  But,  meanwhile,  her 
mistress  would  feel  a  twitch  in  some  part  of  her  body, 
and  the  bell  would  again  be  rung.  As  servants,  when 
fatigued,  sleep  sometimes  so  soundly  as  not  to  hear, 
and  sometimes  are  purposely  deaf,  Lady  Hester  Stan- 
hope had  got  in  the  quadrangle  of  her  own  apartments 
a  couple  of  active  fellows,  a  part  of  whose  business  it 
^as  to  watch  by  turns  during  the  night,  and  see  that 
the  maids  answered  the  bell ;  they  were,  therefore,  sure 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  331 

to  be  roughly  shaken  out  of  their  sleep,  and,  in  going, 
hail  stupid,  into  her  ladyship's  room,  would  be  told  to 
prepare  a  fomentation  of  chamomile,  or  elder  flowers,  or 
mallows,  or  the  like.  The  gardener  was  to  be  called, 
water  was  to  be  boiled,  and  the  house  again  was  all  in 
motion.  During  these  preparations  the  mistress  would 
recollect  some  order  she  had  previously  given  about 
some  honey,  flower,  or  letter — no  matter  however  trivial 
— and  the  person  charged  with  its  execution  would 
be  summoned  from  his  bed,  whatever  might  be  the 
time,  and  questioned  respecting  it.  Nobody  in  Lady 
Hester's  establishment  was  suffered  to  enjoy  an  interval 
of  rest. 

A  description  of  the  bedchamber,  which,  for  most 
purposes,  was  Lady  Hester's  principal  apartment,  we 
shall  now  subjoin.  It  bore  no  resemblance  to  an  English 
or  a  French  chamber,  and,  independent  of  its  furniture, 
was  scarcely  better  than  a  common  peasant's.  The  floor 
was  of  cement.  Across  the  room  was  hung  a  dirty  red 
cotton  curtain,  to  keep  off  the  wind  when  the  door  opened. 
There  were  three  windows;  one  was  nailed  up  by  its 
shutter  on  the  outside,  and  one  closed  up  by  a  bit  of  felt 
on  the  inside  ;  only  the  third,  which  looked  on  the  garden, 
was  reserved  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air.  In  two  deep 
niches  in  the  wall  (which  was  about  three  feet  thick)  were 
heaped  on  a  shelf,  equidistant  from  the  top  and  bottom, 
a  few  books,  some  bundles  tied  up  in  handkerchiefs, 
writing  paper,  with  sundry  other  articles  of  daily  use — 


333  IVOMAJV  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

sucli  as  a  white  plate,  loaded  with  several  pairs  of  scissors 
•and  two  or  three  pairs  of  spectacles,  and  another  white 
plate  with  pins,  sealing-wax,  and  wafers  ;  also,  a  common 
•white  inkstand,  and  the  old  parchment  cover  of  some 
merchant's  daybook,  with  blotting  paper  inside,  on  which, 
•spread  on  her  lap,  as  she  sat  up  in  bed,  she  generally 
wrote  her  letters. 

She  had  neither  watch,  clock,  nor  timepiece;  and 
•when  her  physician  asked  her  why  she  had  never 
purchased  one,  as  a  thing  so  essential  to  good  order  in 
■a  household,  she  replied,  "  Because  I  cannot  bear  any- 
thing that  is  unnatural ;  the  sun  is  for  the  day,  and  the 
imoon  and  stars  for  the  night,  and  by  them  I  like  to 
measure  time  " 

A  wooden  stool  by  her  bedside  served  for  a  table,  and 
•upon  it  stood  a  variety  of  things  to  satisfy  any  sudden 
want  or  fancy ;  such  as  a  little  strawberry  preserve  in  a 
saucer,  lemonade,  chamomile  tea,  ipecacuanha  lozenges, 
.a  bottle  of  cold  water.  Of  these  she  would  take  one  or 
•other  in  succession,  almost  constantly.  In  a  day  or  two  fresh 
^remedies  or  concoctions  would  take  their  place.  There 
would  be  a  bottle  of  wine  or  of  violet  syrup  ;  anise  seeds 
no  masticate  instead  of  cloves  \  quince  preserve ;  orgeat ; 
•a  cup  of  cold  tea ;  a  pill-box. 

Her  bed  was  without  curtains  or  mosquito  net.  An 
•earthenware  ybrick,  or  jug,  with  a  spout,  stood  in  one 
•of  the  windows,  with  a  small  copper  basin,  and  this  con- 
'Stituted  her  washing  appliances.  There  was  no  toilet 
liable ;  and  when  she  washed  herself,  the  copper  basin 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  33J 

was  held  before  her  as  she  sat  up  in  bed.  Near  the  fool 
of  the  bed  stood  an  upright,  ill-made  walnut  wood  box, 
with  a  piece  of  green  calico  depending  before  it.  The 
windows  were  curtainless,  and  the  felt  with  which  one  ol 
them  was  covered  was  held  in  its  place  by  a  faggot-stick, 
stuck  tightly  in,  from  corner  to  corner  diagonally. 
"Such  was  the  chamber  of  Lord  Chatham's  grand- 
daughter !  Diogenes  himself  could  not  have  found  fault 
with  its  appointments ! "  But  the  thoughtful  observer 
will  regret  the  indulged  self-will  and  the  exaggerated 
egotism  which  placed  in  such  a  position  a  woman  whose 
powerful  intellect  might  have  been  applied  to  the  benefit 
of  the  community.  It  is  impossible  not  to  see  and  feel 
that  hers  was  a  wasted  life. 

It  was  this  self-will,  this  colossal  egotism  that  led  her 
to  spend  so  much  of  her  time  in  conversation — if  those 
could  be  called  conversations  in  which  one  of  the  talkers 
insisted  upon  a  monopoly  of  attentioa  It  would  be 
more  accurate  to  describe  them  as  monologues,  with 
occasional  interpolations  of  assent  on  the  part  of  the 
listener.  We  have  no  wish  to  underrate  their  charm, 
though,  from  the  reports  transmitted  to  posterity,  they 
would  hardly  seem  to  have  deserved  the  very  warm 
eulogy  pronounced  by  the  physician,  who  says,*  "  Her 
conversations  lasted  eight  and  ten  hours  at  a  time, 
without  moving  from  her  seat :  so  that,  although  highly 
entertained,    instructed,    or  astonished  at   her   versatile 


Memoirs  of  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,"  i.  135,  136. 


334  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

powers,  as  the  listeners  might  be,  it  was  impossible  not  to 
feel  the  weariness  of  so  long  a  sitting.  Everybody,"  he- 
adds,  "who  visited  Lady  Hester  Stanhope  in  her  retire- 
ment will  bear  witness  to  her  unexampled  colloquial 
powers ;  to  her  profound  knowledge  of  character ;  to  her 
inexhaustible  fund  of  anecdotes;  to  her  talents  for 
mimicry;  to  her  modes  of  narration,  as  various  as  the 
subject-  she  talked  about;  to  the  lofty  inspiration  and 
sublimity  of  her  language,  when  the  subject  required  it ; 
and  to  her  pathos  and  feeling,  whenever  she  wished  ta 
excite  the  emotions  of  her  hearers.  There  was  no  secret, 
of  the  human  heart,  however  studiously  concealed,  that, 
she  could  not  discover ;  no  workings  in  the  listener's  mind 
that  she  would  not  penetrate ;  no  intrigue,  from  the  low 
cunning  of  vulgar  intrigue  to  the  vast  combinations  of 
politics,  that  she  would  not  unravel ;  no  labyrinth,  how- 
ever tortuous,  that  she  would  not  thread.  It  was  this- 
comprehensive  and  searching  faculty,  this  intuitive 
penetration,  which  made  her  so  formidable ;  for  under 
imaginary  names,  when  she  wdshed  to  show  a  person 
that  his  character  and  course  of  life  were  unmasked  to- 
iler view,  she  would,  in  his  very  presence,  paint  him  such 
a  picture  of  himself,  in  drawing  the  portrait  of  another^ 
that  you  might  see  the  individual  writhing  on  his  chair, 
unable  to  conceal  the  effect  the  words  had  on  his  con- 
science. Everybody  who  heard  her  for  an  huur  or  two- 
retired  humbled  from  her  presence,  for  her  language 
was  always  directed  to  bring  mankind  to  their  level,  to 
pull   down  pride  and  conceit,  to  strip  off  the  garb  of 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE,  9-?? 

affectation,  and  to  shame  vice,  immorality,  irreligion,  and 
hypocrisy." 

We  have  admitted  Lady  Hester  Stanhope's  great  mental 
powers,  but  we  can  find  no  trace  in  the  records  of  her 
conversation  of  such  extraordinary  genius  as  is  here 
indicated.  No  doubt,  she  talked  very  well ;  but  like  all 
great  talkers,  she  sometimes  talked  very  ill.  The  great 
attraction  of  her  conversation  was  its  reflection  of  one 
strange  personality:  she  glassed  herself  in  it  as  in  a 
mirror;  and  as  she  had  seen  much,  and  known  many 
great  men,  and  gone  through  a  vast  variety  of  experience, 
she  had  always  something  to  tell  which  was  interesting. 
But  how  largely  it  was  informed  by  egotism,  and  how 
narrowly  at  times  it  escaped  the  reproach  of  silliness, 
may  be  understood,  I  think,  from  the  following 
specimen : — 

"  Doctor,"  one  day  she  said  to  her  physician,  "you  have 
no  religion  :  what  I  mean  by  religion  is,  adoration  of 
the  Almighty.  Religion,  as  people  profess  it,  is  nothing^ 
but  a  dress.  One  man  puts  on  one  coat,  and  another 
another.  But  the  feeling  that  I  have  is  quite  a  different 
thing,  and  I  thank  God  that  He  has  opened  my  eyes> 
You  will  never  learn  of  me,  because  you  cannot  compre- 
hend my  ideas,  and  therefore  it  is  of  no  use  teaching: 
you.  Nobody  opens  a  book  to  an  idiot,  that  would 
foam  and  splutter  over  it ;  for  you  never  could  make 
him  read.  Ah !  I  see  my  way  a  little  before  me,  and 
God  vouchsafes  to  enlighten  me  perhaps  more  than  athet 
people.  .  .  . 

22 


336  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

"  It  was  ever  an  object  with  me  to  search  out  why  I 
came  into  the  world,  what  I  ought  to  do  in  it,  and  where  I 
shall  go  to.  God  has  given  me  the  extraordinary  faculty 
of  seeing  into  futurity ;  for  a  clear  judgment  becomes 
matter  of  fact  It  has  ever  been  my  study  to  know  myself. 
I  may  thank  God  for  my  suflferings,  as  they  have  enabled 
me  to  dive  deeper  into  the  subject  than,  I  believe,  any 
person  living.  The  theory  of  the  soul,  doctor,  what  an 
awful  thing ! 

"  My  religion  is  to  try  to  do  as  well  as  I  can  in 
God's  eyes.  That  is  the  only  merit  I  have.  I  try 
to  do  the  best  I  can.  Some  of  the  servants  some- 
times talk  about  my  religion — dyn  es  Sytt,  as  they  call 
it — and  I  let  them  talk  ;  for  they  explain  it  to  people 
by  saying  it  is  to  do  what  is  right,  and  to  avoid  all 
uncleanliness. 

"  My  views  of  the  Creator  are  very  different.  I  believe 
that  all  things  are  calculated,  and  what  is  written  is 
written ;  but  I  do  not  suppose  that  the  devil  is  indepen- 
dent of  God:  he  receives  his  orders.  Not  that  God 
goes  and  gives  them  to  him,  any  more  than  the  big  my 
lord  goes  and  gives  orders  to  his  shoe-black.  There  is 
some  secondary  being  that  does  that — some  intendant. 

"  There  are  angels  of  different  degrees,  from  the 
highest  down  to  the  devil.  It  must  be  an  awful  sight  to 
«ee  an  angel !  There  is  something  so  transcendent  and 
beautiful  in  them,  that  a  person  must  be  half  out  of  his 
■senses  to  brave  the  sight.  For,  when  you  are  looking 
down,  and  happen  to  raise  your  head,  and  there  is  the 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE.  337 

angel  standing  before  you,  you  can't  say  whether  it  came 
up  through  the  earth,  or  down  from  the  sky,  or  hofw — 
there  he  is,  and  may  go  in  the  same  way.  But  angels 
don't  appear  to  everybody.  You  know,  doctor,  you 
■can't  suppose  that  if  you  were  a  dirty  little  apothecary, 
keeping  a  shop  in  a  narrow  street,  a  prime  minister 
would  waste  his  time  in  going  to  call  on  you  \  or  that, 
if  a  man  is  sitting  over  his  glass  all  the  evening,  or  play- 
ing whist,  or  lounging  all  the  morning,  an  angel  will 
come  to  him.  But  where  there  is  a  mortal  of  high 
rectitude  and  integrity,  then  such  a  being  may  be  sup- 
posed to  condescend  to  seek  him  out 

"  God  is  my  Friend — that  is  enough ;  and,  if  I  am 
to  see  no  happiness  in  this  world,  my  share  of  it,  I 
trust,  will  be  greater  in  the  next,  if  I  am  firm  in  the 
execution  of  those  principles  which  He  has  inspired  me 
with."* 

In  reference  to  her  inveterate  love  of  smoking, 
her  physician  says,  "  Much  has  been  written  in  prose 
and  verse  on  the  advantages  and  mischief  of  smoking 
tobacco.  .  .  .  All  I  can  say  is,  that  Lady  Hester  gave 
her  sanction  to  the  practice  by  the  habitual  use  of  the 
long  Oriental  pipe,  which  use  dated  from  the  year  181 7, 
or  thereabouts.  In  her  bed,  lying  with  her  pipe  in  her 
mouth,  she  would  talk  on  politics,  philosophy,  morality, 
religion,  or  on  any  other, theme,  with  her  accustomed 
eloquence,  and  closing  her  periods  with  a  whiff  that  would 

•  "Memoirs  of  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,'*  L  142—144. 


338  UOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

have  made  the  Duchess  of  Richmond  stare  with  aston- 
ishment, could  she  have  risen  from  her  tomb  to  have 
seen  her  quondam  friend,  the  brilliant  ornament  of  a 
London  drawing-room,  clouded  in  fumes  so  that  her 
features  were  sometimes  invisible.  Now,  this  altered 
individual  had  not  a  covering  to  her  bed  that  was  not 
burnt  into  twenty  holes  by  the  sparks  and  ashes  that  had 
fallen  from  her  pipe  ;  and,  had  not  these  coverings  been 
all  woollen,  it  is  certain  that,  on  some  unlucky  night,  she 
must  have  been  consumed,  bed  and  all. 

"Her  bedroom,  at  the  end  of  every  twenty-four 
hours,  was  strewed  with  tobacco  and  ashes,  to  be  swept 
away  and  again  strewed  as  before ;  and  it  was  always 
strongly  impregnated  with  the  fumes. 

"  The  finest  tobacco  the  country  could  produce,  and 
the  cleanest  pipes  (for  she  had  a  new  one  almost  as  often 
as  a  fop  puts  on  new  gloves),  could  hardly  satisfy  her 
fastidiousness ;  and  I  have  known  her  footman  get  as 
many  scoldings  as  there  were  days  in  the  week  on  that 
score.  From  curiosity,  I  once  counted  a  bundle  of 
pipes,  thrown  by  after  a  day  or  two's  use,  any  one  of 
which  would  have  fetched  five  or  ten  shillings  in  London, 
and  there  were  102.  The  woods  she  most  preferred  were 
jessamine,  rose,  and  cork.  She  never  smoked  cherry- 
wood  pipes,  from  their  weight,  and  because  she  Hked 
cheaper  ones,  which  she  could  renew  oftener.  She 
never  arrived  at  that  perfectibility,  which  is  seen  in 
many  smokers,  of  swallowing  the  fumes,  or  of  making 
them  pass  out  at  her  nostrils.     The  pipe  was  to  her 


LADY  HESTER  STANHOPE. 


339 


what  a  fan  was,  or  is,  in  a  lad/s  hand — a  means  of 
having  something  to  do.  She  forgot  it  when  she  had  a 
letter  to  write,  or  any  serious  occupation.  It  is  not  so 
with  the  studious  and  literary  man,  who  fancies  it  helps 
reflection  or  promotes  inspiration."* 

•  •*  Memoirs  of  Lady  Hester  Stanhope,"  iiL  189,  19a 


LADY    BRASSEY. 


MOST  of  our  readers  will  be  familiar  with  the 
exciting  story  of  voyages  round  the  world  ; 
with  that  famous  circumnavigation  by  Magellan,  which 
first  found  an  ocean-way  between  the  West  and  the  East, 
and  carried  a  furrow  across  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Pacific;  that  scarcely  less  famous  circumnavigation  of 
Drake's,  which  made  the  English  flag  known  on  the 
southern  seas ;  that  great  voyage  of  Cook's,  which  added 
so  many  lands,  hitherto  unknown,  to  the  map  of  the  in- 
habited globe,  down  to  later  circumnavigations,  accom- 
plished for  scientific  objects  by  ships  equipped  with  the 
most  perfect  appliances.  Storm  and  wreck  and  calm ; 
intercourse  with  savages  who  look  with  wonder  on  the 
white  sails  that  have  come  up  from  the  under-world; 
the  wash  of  waters  upon  coral-reefs ;  the  shadow  of 
green  palms  upon  lonely  isles ;  strange  sea-weeds  float- 
ing on  the  deep  green  wave,  and  flying-fish  hunted  by 
voracious  foes ;  long  days  and  nights  spent  under  glow- 
ing skies,  without    a  ghmpse  of  land;   the  breathless 

340 


LADY  BRASSEY,  341 

eagerness  with  which  some  new  shore  is  sighted — with 
such  incidents  as  these  we  Enghsh  are  necessarily  familiar, 
possessing  as  we  do  a  vast  and  various  literature  of  the 
sea.  And  yet  our  appetite  never  grows  weary  of  the 
old,  old  tale  ;  there  is  a  romance  about  it  which  never 
seems  to  fade — like  the  sea  itself  it  seems  ever  to 
present  some  fresh  and  novel  aspect 

And  such  an  aspect  it  certainly  wears  when  it  is  told 
by  a  woman,  as  it  has  been  told  by  Lady  Brassey,  one 
of  the  most  adventurous  and  agreeable  of  lady-voyagers. 
Told,  too,  with  a  literary  skill  and  a  refined  taste  which 
have  greatly  charmed  the  public,  and  given  a  permanent 
value  to  her  rapid  record.  There  is  no  affectation  of 
high-wrought  adventure  or  heroic  enterprise  about  it 
Lady  Brassey  describes  only  what  she  has  seen— and  she 
saw  a  great  deal.  She  invents  nothing  and  she  magnifies 
nothing ;  her  narrative  is  as  plain  and  unvarnished  as  a 
ship's  log-book. 

The  yacht  Sunbeam  in  which  Lady  (she  was  then 
simply  Mrs.)  Brassey  accomplished  her  voyage  round 
the  world  was  a  screw  three-masted  schooner,  of  530 
tons,  with  engines  of  thirty-five  horse-power,  and  a  speed 
of  10  to  13  knots  an  hour.  She  was  157  feet  in  length, 
with  an  extreme  breadth  of  twenty-seven  and  a-half  feet 
Belonging  to  a  wealthy  English  gentleman,  she  was 
richly  appointed,  and  fitted  up  with  a  luxurious  splendour 
which  would  have  driven  wild  with  envy  and  admiration 
the  earlier  circumnavigators.  Leaving  Chatham  on  the 
ist   of  July,   1876,  she  ran  off   Beachy   Head  on  the 


342  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

following  evening,  dropped  anchor  oif  Cowes  next 
morning,  and  early  on  the  6th  passed  through  the 
Needles. 

"  We  were  forty-three  on  board,  all  told,"  says  Mrs. 
Brassey,  the  party  then  including  her  husband  and  her- 
self and  their  four  children,  some  friends,  a  sailing 
master,  boatswain,  carpenter,  able  -  bodied  seamen, 
engineers,  firemen,  stewards,  cooks,  nurse,  stewardess, 
and  lady's  maid. 

On  the  8th  they  were  fairly  away  from  Old  England. 
Next  day,  in  the  afternoon,  they  rounded  Ushant,  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  and  a-half :  "  the  sea  was  tremendous, 
the  waves  breaking  in  columns  of  spray  against  the 
sharp  needle-like  rocks  that  form  the  point  of  the  island." 
Two  days  later,  Mrs.  Brassey  had  her  first  rough  experi- 
ence of  the  sea.  "  We  were  all  sitting  or  standing,"  she 
says,  "  about  the  stern  of  the  vessel,  admiring  the 
magnificent  dark  blue  billows  following  us,  with  their 
curling  white  crests,  mountains  high,  liach  wave,  as  it 
approached,  appeared  as  if  it  must  overwhelm  us,  instead 
of  which  it  rushed  grandly  by,  rolling  and  shaking  us 
from  stem  to  stern,  and  sending  fountains  of  spray  on 
board.  Tom  (Mr.  Brassey)  was  looking  at  the  stern 
compass,  Allnutt  being  close  to  him.  Mr.  Bingham  and 
Mr.  Freer  were  smoking,  half-way  between  the  quarter- 
deck and  the  after-companion,  where  Captain  Brown, 
Dr.  Potter,  Muriel,  and  I  were  standing.  Captain 
Lecky,  seated  on  a  large  coil  of  rope,  placed  on  the  box 
of  the   rudder,  was  spinning  Mabelle  a  yarn.     A  new 


LADY  BRASSEY.  343 

hand  was  steering,  and  just  at  the  moment  when  an  un- 
usually big  wave  overtook  us,  he  unfortunately  allowed 
the  vessel  to  broach  to  a  little.  In  a  second  the  sea 
•came  pouring  over  the  stem,  above  Allnutt's  head.  The 
boy  was  nearly  washed  overboard,  but  he  managed  to 
catch  hold  of  the  rail,  and,  with  great  presence  of  mind, 
stuck  his  knees  into  the  bulwarks.  Kindred,  our  boat- 
swain, seeing  his  danger,  rushed  fonvard  to  save  him, 
but  was  knocked  down  by  the  return  wave,  from  which 
he  emerged  gasping.  The  coil  of  rope,  on  which 
Captain  Lecky  and  Mabelle  were  seated,  was  completely 
floated  by  the  sea.  Providentially,  however,  he  had 
taken  a  double  turn  round  his  wrist  with  a  reefing  point, 
and  throwing  his  other  arm  round  Mabelle,  held  on  like 
grim  death ;  otherwise  nothing  could  have  saved  them. 
She  was  perfectly  self-possessed,  and  only  said  quietiy, 
*^Hold  on.  Captain  Lecky,  hold  on  ! "  to  which  he 
replied,  "  All  right."  I  asked  her  afterwards  if  she 
thought  she  was  going  overboard,  and  she  answered,  "  I 
•did  not  think  at  all,  mamma,  but  felt  sure  we  were  gone." 
Captain  Lecky,  long  accustomed  to  very  large  ships,  had 
not  in  the  least  realized  how  near  we  were  to  the  water 
in  our  little  vessel,  and  was  proportionately  taken  by 
surprise.  All  the  rest  of  the  party  were  drenched,  with 
the  exception  of  Muriel,  whom  Captain  Brown  held  high 
-above  the  water  in  his  arms,  and  who  lost  no  time  in 
remarking,  in  the  midst  of  the  general  confusion,  "  I'm 
*not  at  all  wet,  I'm  not."  Happily,  the  children  don't 
Jcnow  what   fear  is.      The   maids,  however,   were  very 


344  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

frightened,  as  some  of  the  sea  had  got  down  into  the* 
nursery,  and  the  skylights  had  to  be  screwed  down. 
Our  studding  sail  boom,  too,  broke  with  a  loud  crack 
when  the  ship  broached  to,  and  the  jaws  of  the  fore- 
boom  gave  way. 

"  Soon  after  this  adventure  we  all  went  to  bed,  full  of 
thankfulness  that  it  had  ended  as  well  as  it  did,  but^. 
alas  !  not,  so  far  as  I  was  concerned,  to  rest  in  peace. 
In  about  two  hours  I  was  awakened  by  a  tremendous 
weight  of  water  suddenly  descending  upon  me  and 
flooding  the  bed.  1  immediately  sprang  out,  only  to. 
find  myself  in  another  pool  on  the  floor.  It  was  pitch 
dark,  and  I  could  not  think  what  had  happened ;  so- 
I  rushed  on  deck,  and  found  that,  the  weather  having 
moderated  a  little,  some  kind  sailor,  knowing  my  love  of. 
fresh  air,  had  opened  the  skylight  rather  too  soon,  and 
one  of  the  angry  waves  had  popped  on  board,  deluging 
the  cabin. 

"I  got  a  light  and  proceeded  to  mop  up  as  best  L 
could,  and  then  endeavoured  to  find  a  dry  place  to  sleep 
in.  This,  however,  was  no  easy  task,  for  my  own  bed 
was  drenched  and  every  other  berth  occupied ;  the  deck, 
too,  was  ankle-deep  in  water,  as  I  found  when  I  tried  to^ 
get  across  to  the  deck-house  sofa.  At  last  I  lay  down.- 
on  the  floor,  wrapped  up  in  my  ulster,  and  wedged 
between  the  foot-stanchions  of  our  swing  bed  and  the 
wardrobe  athwart  ship ;  so  that,  as  the  yacht  rolled 
heavily,  my  feet  were  often  higher  than  my  head.  Con- 
sequently what  sleep  I  snatched  turned  into  a  nightmare^ 


LADY  BRASSEY.  345, 

of  which  the  fixed  idea  was  a  broken  head,  from  the 
three  hundredweight  of  lead  at  the  bottom  of  our  bed. 
swinging  wildly  from  side  to  side  and  up  and  down,  as 
the  vessel  rolled  and  pitched,  suggesting  all  manner  of 
accidents.  When  morning  came  at  last  the  weather 
cleared  a  good  deal,  though  the  breeze  continued.  All 
hands  were  soon  busily  employed  in  repairing  damages  ;. 
and  very  picturesque  the  deck  and  rigging  of  the  Sun- 
beam looked,  with  the  various  groups  of  men  occupied 
upon  the  ropes,  spars,  and  sails.  Towards  evening  the 
wind  fell  light,  and  we  had  to  get  up  steam.  The  night 
was  the  first  really  warm  one  we  had  enjoyed,  and  the 
stars  shone  out  brightly ;  the  sea,  which  had  been  of 
a  lovely  blue  colour  during  the  day,  showed  a  slight 
phosphorescence  after  dark." 

The  voyage,  which  opened  in  this  stirring  manner, 
proved  not  less  prosperous  than  pleasant,  and  was  un- 
marked by  any  striking  adventures,  though  not  devoid* 
of  interesting  incidents.  By  way  of  the  Cape  de  Verde 
Islands  and  Madeira,  the  Sunbeam  kept  southward 
to  the  Equator,  and  gradually  drew  near  the  coast  of 
South  America,  until  it  touched  at  the  Brazilian  capital, 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  Thence  it  ran  southward  to  the  River 
Plate,  skirted  the  Patagonian  shores,  and,  threading  its 
way  through  the  defiles  of  the  Magellan  Strait,  emerged 
into  the  Southern  Ocean.  A  northerly  course  took  it 
to  the  great  seaport  of  Chili — Valparaiso,  whence  it 
reached  across  the  Pacific  to  the  beautiful  group  of  the 
Society  Islands,  visiting  Tahiti,  the  Eden  of  the  southern. 


346  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

seas.  The  Sandwich  Islands  are  almost  the  same  ais- 
tance  north  as  the  Society  are  south  of  the  Equator. 
Here  Lady  Brassey  was  received  with  great  hospitality, 
and  surveyed  the  new  and  rising  civilization  of  Hawaii 
with  much  interest.  In  the  track  of  the  trade  winds 
che  voyagers  crossed  the  Pacific,  which,  so  far  as  they 
were  concerned,  justified  its  name,  to  Japan;  thence 
they  proceeded  to  Hong-Kong,  and  through  the  Straits 
of  Malacca  to  Penang.  Ceylon  lies  on  the  farther  side 
of  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  From  Ceylon  they  sailed  to 
Aden,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Red  Sea,  one  of  those  strong 
strategical  points  by  which  England  keeps  open  the 
ocean-highways  to  her  commercial  fleets.  Through 
the  Suez  Canal  the  Sunbeam  passed  into  the  Medi- 
terranean, "whose  shores  are  empires,"  touching  at 
Malta  and  at  "  the  Rock,"  which  the  enterprise  of  Sir 
George  Rorke  gave,  and  the  patient  courage  of  General 
Eliott  preserved,  to  England.  Entering  the  familiar 
waters  of  the  Atlantic,  it  put  into  Lisbon,  and  after- 
wards fell  into  the  track  for  "  home,"  sighting  the  first 
English  land,  the  Start,  very  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  26th  of  May.  At  midnight  the  voyagers  reached 
Beachy  Head,  and  could  see  the  lights  of  Hastings  in 
the  distance.  At  half-past  six  on  the  27th  they  landed 
there,  and  were  warmly  greeted  by  a  multitude  of 
well-wishers. 

In  our  limited  space  it  would  be  impossible  for  us  to 
follow  up  very  closely  a  voyage  which  covered  so  large 
a  part  of  the  world's  surface ;  nor  is  it  necessary,  since 


LADY  BRASSEY.  347 

Lady  Brassey's  charmingly  written  narrative  is  now  well 
known  to  every  reader ;  but  we  shall  permit  ourselves 
Jthe  pleasure  of  seeing,  as  Lady  Brassey  saw,  a  picture 
here  and  there  of  beautiful  scenery  or  foreign  manners, 
that  we  may  judge  of  the  impression  it  produced  on 
so  accomplished  an  observer.  Lady  Brassey  evidently 
belongs  not  to  the  nil  admirari schoo\y  but  enjoys  keenly 
and  heartily  everything  that  is  fresh  and  new — a  bright 
bit  of  colour  or  a  picturesque  detail.  It  is  this  which 
makes  her  book  so  enjoyable.  There  is  no  affectation 
in  its  pages — no  airs  of  conscious  superiority ;  and  we 
feel  that  we  are  in  the  company  of  a  woman  with  a 
woman's  heart — of  a  woman  with  broad  sympathies  and 
a  happy  nature. 

Our  first  visit,  with  Lady  Brassey  as  our  guide,  shall 
be  to  the  market  at  Rio  de  Janeiro  * 

The  greatest  bustle  and  animation  prevailed,  and  there 
were  people  and  things  to  see  and  observe  in  endless 
variety.  The  fish  market  was  full  of  finny  monsters  of 
the  deep,  all  new  and  strange  to  us,  whose  odd  Brazilian 
names  would  convey  to  a  stranger  but  little  idea  of  the  fish 
themselves.  There  was  an  enormous  rock  fish,  weighing 
about  three  hundred  pounds,  with  hideous  face  and  shiny 
back,  and  fins ;  large  ray,  and  skate,  and  cuttle  fish — the 
octopus,  or  pieuvre,  described  with  so  much  exaggeration 
in  Victor  Hugo's  "  Travailleurs  de  la  Mer,"  to  say  nothing 
of  the  large   prawns  for  which   the  coast  is  famous — 

•  Lady  Brassey :   "  A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam^''  pp.  46.  47. 


348  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

iprawns  eight  or  ten  inches  long,  with  antennae  of  twelve 
•or  fourteen  inches  in  length.  Such  prawns  suit  those 
•only  who  care  for  quantity  rather  than  for  quality;  they 
are  of  indifferent  flavour ;  whereas  the  oysters,  which  are 
particularly  small,  are  remarkable  for  their  delicious  taste. 
Mackerel  are  here  in  abundance,  also  a  good  many 
i;urtle  and  porpoises,  and  a  few  hammer-headed  sharks. 

In  the  fruit  market  were  many  familiar  bright-coloured 
•fiuits.  Fat,  jet-black  negresses,  wearing  turbans  on  their 
lieads,  strings  of  coloured  beads  on  their  necks  and  arms, 
.and  single  long  white  garments,  which  appeared  to  be 
-continually  slipping  off  their  shoulders,  presided  over 
glittering  piles  of  oranges,  bananas,  pine-apples,  passion- 
ffruit,  tomatoes,  apples,  pears,  capsicum  and  peppers, 
.sugar-canes,  cabbage-palms,  cherimoyas,  and  bread-fruit. 
In  another  part  of  the  market  all  sorts  of  live  birds  were 
•for  sale,  with  a  few  live  beasts,  such  as  deer,  monkeys, 
pigs,  guinea-pigs  in  profusion,  rats,  cats,  dogs,  marmosets, 
;and  a  dear  little  lion-monkey,  very  small  and  rather  red, 
•with  a  beautiful  head  and  mane,  who  roared  exactly  like 
-a  real  lion  in  miniature.  There  were  cages  full  of  small 
flamingoes,  snipe  of  various  kinds,  and  a  great  many  birds 
'of  smaller  size,  with  feathers  of  all  shades  of  blue,  red, 
and  green,  and  metallic  hues  of  brilliant  lustre,  besides 
parrots,  macaws,  cockatoos  innumerable,  and  torchas  on 
stands.  The  torcha  is  a  bright-coloured  black  and  yellow 
bird,  about  as  big  as  a  starling,  which  puts  its  little  head 
•  on  one  side  and  takes  flies  from  one's  fingers  in  the 
rpreltiest  and  ^most  enticing  manner. 


LADV  BRASSEY,  349 

While  the  Sfttbeam  was  lying  in  the  River  Plate,  Lady 
Brassey  and  her  party  made  an  excursion  to  the  Pampas, 
those  broad,  league-long  undulating  plains  of  verdure,  on 
'which  civilization  as  yet  has  made  but  a  limited  advance. 

**  Miles  and  miles  of  gold  and  green 

Where  the  sunflowers  blow 

In  a  solid  glow, 
And  to  break  now  and  then  the  screen — 

Black  neck  and  eyeballs  keen, 
Up  a  wild  horse  leaps  between." — {R.  Browning.) 

According  to  Lady  Brassey,  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
'far-spreading  prairie  was  most  striking  in  all  its  variations 
•of  colour.  The  true  shade  of  the  Pampas  grass,  when 
long,  is  a  light  dusty  green ;  when  short,  it  is  a  bright 
fresh  green.  But  it  frequently  happens  that,  owing  to 
the  numerous  prairie  fires,  either  accidental  or  inten- 
tional, nothing  is  visible  but  a  vast  expanse  of  black 
charred  ground,  here  and  there  relieved  by  a  few  patches 
•of  vivid  green,  where  the  grass  is  once  more  springing 
up  under  the  influence  of  the  rain. 

"The  road,  or  rather  track,  was  in  a  bad  condition, 
•owing  to  the  recent  wet  weather,  and  on  each  side  of  the 
'five  canadas,  or  small  rivers,  which  we  had  to  ford,  there 
were  deep  morasses,  through  which  we  had  to  struggle 
as  best  we  could,  with  the  mud  up  to  our  axle-trees. 
Just  before  arriving  at  the  point  where  the  stream  had 
to  be  crossed,  the  horses  were  well  flogged  and  urged 
•on  at  a  gallop,  which  they  gallantly  maintained  until  the 
other  side  was  reached.  Then  we  stopped  to  breathe 
ifte  norses  and  to  repair  damages,  generally  finding  that 


350  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

a  trace  had  given  way,  or  that  some  other  part  of  the 
harness  had  shown  signs  of  weakness.  On  one  occasion 
we  were  delayed  for  a  considerable  time  by  the  breaking 
of  the  splinter-bar,  to  repair  which  was  a  troublesome 
matter ;  indeed,  I  don't  know  how  we  should  have 
managed  if  we  had  not  met  a  native  lad.  who  sold  us: 
his  long  lasso  to  bind  the  pieces  together  again.  It  was- 
a  lucky  rencontre  for  us,  as  he  was  the  only  human  being 
we  saw  during  the  whole  of  our  drive  of  thirty  miles,, 
except  the  peon  who  brought  us  a  change  of  horses 
half  way. 

"  In  the  course  of  the  journey  we  passed  a  large 
estancia,  the  road  to  which  was  marked  by  the  dead 
bodies  and  skeletons  of  the  poor  beasts  who  had  perished 
in  the  late  droughts.  Hundreds  of  them  were  lying 
about  in  every  stage  of  decay,  those  more  recently  dead 
being  surrounded  by  vultures  and  other  carrion  birds. 
The  next  Canada  that  we  crossed  was  choked  up  with 
the  carcasses  of  the  unfortunate  creatures  who  had 
struggled  thus  far  for  a  last  drink,  and  had  then  not 
had  sufficient  strength  left  to  extricate  themselves  from 
the  water.  Herds  of  miserable-looking,  half-starved 
cattle  were  also  to  be  seen ;  the  cows  very  little  larger 
than  their  calves,  and  all  apparently  covered  with  the 
same  rough  shaggy  coats.  The  pasture  is  not  fine 
enough  in  this  part  of  the  country  to  carry  sheep,  but 
deer  are  frequently  met  with  .... 

''The  natives  of  these  parts  pass  their  lives  in  the 
saddle.     Horses  are  used  for  almost  every  conceivable 


LADV  BRASSEY.  351 

employment,  from  hunting  and  fishing  to  brick-making 
and  butter-churning.  P>en  the  very  beggars  ride  about 
on  horseback.  I  have  seen  a  photograph  of  one,  with 
a  police  certificate  of  mendicancy  hanging  round  his 
neck.  Every  domestic  servant  has  his  or  her  own  horse, 
as  a  matter  of  course ;  and  the  maids  are  all  provided 
with  habits,  in  which  they  ride  about  on  Sundays,  from 
one  estancia  to  another,  to  pay  visits.  In  fishing,  the 
horse  is  ridden  into  the  water  as  far  as  he  can  go,  and 
the  net  or  rod  is  then  made  use  of  by  his  rider.  At 
Buenos  Ayres  I  have  seen  the  poor  animals  all  but 
swimming  to  the  shore,  with  heavy  carts  and  loads,  from 
the  ships  anchored  in  the  inner  roads ;  for  the  water  is 
so  shallow,  that  only  very  small  boats  can  go  alongside 
the  vessels,  and  the  cargo  is  therefore  transferred  directly 
to  the  carts  to  save  the  trouble  and  expense  of  tran- 
shipment In  out-of-the-way  places,  on  the  Pampas, 
where  no  churns  exist,  butter  is  made  by  putting  milk 
into  a  goat-skin  bag,  attached  by  a  long  lasso  to  the 
saddle  of  a  peon,  who  is  then  set  to  gallop  a  certain 
number  of  miles,  with  the  bag  bumping  and  jumping 
along  the  ground  after  him."  * 

When  on  her  way  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan,  Lady 
Brassey  saw  something  of  one  of  the  most  terrible  of 
*'  disasters  at  sea  " — a  ship  on  fire.  The  barque  proved  to 
be  the  Monkshaven,  from  Swansea,  with  a  cargo  of  smelt- 

•  Lady  Brassey  :  "A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam,'^  p.  90. 

23 


35.3  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

\ng  coal  for  Valparaiso.  The  Sunbeam,  on  discovering  her, 
hove-to,  and  sent  a  boat,  which,  as  it  was  found  impos- 
sible to  save  the  burning  vessel,  brought  her  captain 
and  crew  on  board,  and  afterwards  saved  most  of  their 
effects,  with  the  ship's  chronometers,  charts,  and  papers. 
"  The  poor  little  dingy  belonging  to  the  Monkshaven 
had  been  cast  away  as  soon  as  the  crew  had  disem- 
barked from  her,  and  there  was  something  melancholy 
in  seeing  her  slowly  drift  away  to  leeward,  followed  by 
her  oars  and  various  small  articles,  as  if  to  rejoin  the 
noble  ship  she  had  so  lately  quitted.  The  latter  was 
now  hove-to,  under  full  sail,  an  occasional  puff  of  smoke 
alone  betraying  the  presence  of  the  demon  of  destruction 
within.  The  sky  was  dark  and  lowering,  the  sunset  red 
and  lurid  in  its  grandeur,  the  clouds  numerous  and 
threatening,  the  sea  high  and  dark,  with  occasional 
streaks  of  white  foam.  Not  a  breath  of  wind  was  stirring. 
Everything  portended  a  gale.  As  we  lay  slowly  rolling 
from  side  to  side,  both  ship  and  boat  were  sometimes 
plainly  visible,  and  then  again  both  would  disappear,  for 
what  seemed  an  age,  in  the  deep  trough  of  the  South 
Atlantic  rollers."* 

Something  Lady  Brassey  has  to  say  about  the  Pata- 
gonians,  of  whom  the  early  voyagers  brought  home  such 
mythical  accounts.  They  owe  their  name  to  the  fanciful 
credulity  of  Magellan,  who  thus  immortalized  his  con- 
viction that  they  were  of  gigantic  proportions — Patagons, 

*  Lridy  Brassey:   '*  A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeaniy^  pp.  no,  K3. 


LADY  BRASS EY.  353 

or  Pentagons,  that  is,  live  cubits  high.  Sir  Thomas  Caven- 
dish speaks  of  them  as  averaging  seven  to  eight  feet 
in  stature.  In  truth,  they  are  a  fine  robust  race ;  well- 
limbed,  of  great  strength,  and  above  six  feet  in  height ; 
not  giants,  but  men  cast  in  a  noble  mould,  and,  phy- 
sically, not  inferior  to  the  household  regiments  of  the 
British  army.  They  live  the  true  nomadic  life,  being 
almost  constantly  on  horseback,  and  dashing  at  head- 
iong  speed  across  their  wide  and  open  plains.  Both  men 
and  women  wear  a  long  flowing  mantle  of  skins,  which 
reaches  from  the  waist  to  the  ankle,  with  a  large  loose 
piece  dependent  on  one  side,  ready  to  be  thrown  over 
their  heads  whenever  necessary;  this  is  fastened  by  a 
large  flat  pm,  hammered  out  either  from  the  rough  silver 
or  from  a  dollar.  They  are  no  believers  in  cleanHness ; 
but  daub  their  bodies  with  paint  and  grease,  especially 
the  women.  Their  only  weapons  are  knives  and  bolas, 
the  latter  of  which  they  throw  with  a  surprising  accuracy 
of  aim.  That  they  possess  even  the  rudest  form  of 
religious  belief,  or  perform  any  religious  ceremonies, 
has  never  yet  been  ascertained.  Their  food  consists 
chiefly  of  the  flesh  of  mares,  and  troops  of  these  animals 
accompany  them  always  on  their  excursions.  They  also 
eat  ostrich  flesh,  as  an  exceptional  bonne  bouche^  and 
birds'  eggs,  and  fish,  which  the  women  catch. 

Low  as  they  are  in  the  scale  of  humanity,  from  the 
standpoint  of  Western  civilization,  the  Fuegians,  or 
Canoe  Indians,  as  they  are  generally  called,  because  they 
live  so  much  on  the  water,  and  have  no  fixed  abodes  on 


ZU  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

shore,  sink  much  lower.  They  are  cannibals,  and, 
according  to  an  old  writer,  "  magpies  in  chatter,  baboons 
in  countenance,  and  imps  in  treachery."  Whenever  it  is 
seen  that  a  ship  is  in  distress,  or  that  a  shipwrecked 
crew  have  been  cast  ashore,  signal  fires  blaze  on  every 
prominent  point,  to  convey  the  good  news  to  the  whole 
island  population,  and  immediately  the  natives  assemble, 
like  the  clans  at  Roderick  Dhu's  bidding,  in  Scott's 
"  Lady  of  the  Lake."  But  if  all  goes  well,  a.  vessel  may 
pass  through  Magellan's  Straits  without  discerning  any 
sign  of  human  life,  the  savages  and  their  canoes  lying 
hidden  beneath  the  leafy  screen  of  overhanging  boughs. 
Those  who  frequent  the  Eastern  part  of  "  Fireland " 
(Tierra  del  Fuego)  are  clothed,  in  so  far  as  they  cover 
~^heir  nakedness  at  all,  in  a  deerskin  mantle  descending 
to  the  waist ;  those  at  the  Western  end  wear  cloaks  made 
from  the  skin  of  the  sea  otter.  But  most  of  them  are 
quite  naked.  Their  food  is  of  the  scantiest  description, 
consisting  almost  wholly  of  shell-fish,  sea-eggs,  and  fish 
generally,  which  they  train  their  dogs  to  assist  them  in 
catching.  These  dogs  are  sent  into  the  water  at  the 
mouth  of  a  narrow  creek  or  a  small  bay,  where  they 
bark  and  flounder  about  until  the  fish  are  frightened  into 
the  shallows. 

Lady  Brass ey  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  some 
Fuegians  closely.  When  the  Sunbeam  was  in  English 
Reach,  a  canoe  suddenly  appeared  on  her  port  bow,  and 
as  she  seemed  making  direct  for  the  yacht.  Sir  Thomas 
ordered   the   engines    to    be   slowed.      Thereupon   her 


LADY  BRASSEY.  35J 

occupants  plied  their  paddles  more  furiously  than  before, 
shouting  and  gesticulating  violently,  one  man  waving  a 
skin  round  his  head  with  an  energy  of  action  that  threat- 
ened to  capsize  his  frail  craft — frail,  in  truth,  for  it  was 
made  only  of  rough  planks  rudely  fastened  together  with 
the  sinews  of  animals.  A  rope  was  thrown  to  them, 
and  they  came  alongside,  shouting  **  Tabaco,  gall^ta  " 
(biscuit),  a  supply  of  which  they  received,  in  exchange 
for  the  skin  they  had  been  waving ;  **  whereupon  the 
two  men  stripped  themselves  of  the  skin  mantles  they 
were  wearing,  made  of  eight  or  ten  sea-otter  skins,  sewed 
together  with  finer  sinews  than  those  used  for  the  boat, 
and  handed  them  up,  clamouring  for  more  tobacco, 
which  we  gave  them,  together  with  some  beads  and 
knives."  Finally,  the  woman,  influenced  by  so  fair  an 
example,  parted  with  her  sole  garment,  in  return  for  a 
little  more  tobacco,  some  beads,  and  some  looking- 
glasses,  which  were  thrown  into  the  canoe. 

"  The  party  consisted  of  a  man,  a  woman,  and  a  lad ; 
and,  I  think,"  says  Lady  Bra-sey,  "  I  never  saw  delight 
more  strongly  depicted  than  it  was  on  the  faces  of  the 
two  latter,  when  they  handled,  for  the  first  time  in  theii 
lives  probably,  some  strings  of  blue,  red,  and  green  glass 
beads.  They  had  two  rough  pots,  made  of  bark,  in  the 
boat,  which  they  also  sold,  after  which  they  reluctantly 
•departed,  quite  naked  but  very  happy,  shouting  and 
jabbering  away  in  the  most  inarticulate  language  imagin- 
able. It  was  with  great  diflficulty  we  could  make  them 
iet  go  the  rope,  when  we  went  ahead,  and  I  was  quite 


356  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

afraid  they  would  be  upset.  They  were  all  fat  and' 
healthy-looking,  and,  though  not  handsome,  their  appear- 
ance was  by  no  means  repulsive;  the  countenance  of 
the  woman,  especially,  wore  quite  a  pleasing  expression, 
when  lighted  up  with  smiles  at  the  sight  of  the  beads 
and  looking-glasses.  The  bottom  of  their  canoe  was- 
covered  with  branches,  amongst  which  the  ashes  of  a. 
recent  fire  were  distinguishable.  Their  paddles  were 
of  the  very  roughest  description,  consisting  simply  of  split 
branches  of  trees,  with  wider  pieces  tied  on  at  one  end 
with  the  sinews  of  birds  or  beasts."* 

A  fine  contrast  to  these  gloomy  scenes  is  presented  by 
Lady  Brassey's  description  of  a  coral  island,  one  of 
those  almost  innumerable  gems  which  stud  the  broad 
bosom  of  the  Pacific,  like  emeralds  embossed  on  a  shield 
of  azure  and  silver.  It  was  the  first  land  she  touched 
in  the  great  South  Sea  A  reef  of  glowing  coral 
enclosed  a  tranquil  lagoon,  to  which  the  green  shores 
of  the  island  gently  sloped.  The  beauty  of  this  lagoon 
would  need  a  Ruskin's  pen  to  reproduce  it  in  all  its 
exquisite  and  manifold  colouring.  Submarine  coral 
forests,  of  every  hue,  enriched  with  sea-flowers,  anemones, 
and  echinidae,  of  unimaginable  brilliancy ;  shoals  of  the 
brightest  fish  flashing  in  and  out  like  rainbow  gleams  ; 
shells  of  gorgeous  lustre,  moving  slowly  along  with  their 
living  inmates;  fairy  foliage  of  fantastic  sea-weeds  stirred 

•  Lady  Brassey:  "A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam,''^  pp.  129,  130. 


LADY  BRASSEY,  ?57 

into  tremulous  motion  by  the  gliding  wave ;  upon  these 
the  enchanted  gaze  dwelt  in  the  depths  of  the  lagoon, 
while  the  surface  glowed  with  every  possible  and  exqui- 
site tint,  from  the  palest  aqua  marina  to  the  brightest 
emerald ;  from  the  pure  light  blue  of  the  turquoise  to  the 
"deeply,  darkly,  beautifully  blue"  of  the  sapphire;  while 
here  and  there  the  glassy  wave  was  broken  up  by  patches 
of  red,  brown,  and  green  coral  rising  from  the  mass 
below.  A  rich  growth  of  tropical  vegetation  encumbered 
the  shore,  stretching  down  to  the  very  border  of  the 
ribbed  sands;  palms  and  cocoa-nuts  lifted  high  their 
slender,  shapely  trunks;  while  in  and  out  flitted  the 
picturesque  figures  of  native  women  in  red,  blue,  and 
green  garments,  and  of  men  in  motley  costumes,  loaded 
with  fish,  fowls,  and  bunches  of  cocoa-nuts. 

On  the  2nd  of  December  the  Sunbeam  arrived  at 
the  "  Queen  of  the  Pacific,"  the  lovely  island  of  Tahiti, 
or,  as  it  was  first  called,  Otaheite.  Here  Lady  Brassey 
found  herself  in  the  midst  of  a  fairy-like  drama,  to 
describe  which  is  almost  impossible,  so  bewildering  was 
it  in  the  brightness  and  variety  of  its  colouring.  "  The 
magnohas  and  yellow  and  scarlet  hibiscus,  overshadowing 
the  water,  the  velvety  turf,  on  to  which  one  steps  from 
the  boat,  the  white  road  running  between  rows  of  wooden 
houses,  whose  little  gardens  are  a  mass  of  flowers,  the 
men  and  women  clad  in  the  gayest  robes  and  decked 
with  flowers,  the  piles  of  unfamiliar  fruit  lying  on  the 
grass,  waiting  to  be  transported  to  the  coasting  vessels  in 


35»  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

the  harbour,  the  wide-spreading  background  of  hills  clad 
in  verdure  to  their  summits — these  are  but  a  few  of  the 
objects  which  greet  the  new  comer  on  his  first  contact 
with  the  shore." 

The  impression  produced  by  the  first  view  was 
deepened  by  all  that  Lady  Brassey  saw  afterwards.  On 
sea  and  shore,  or  in  the  heart  of  the  island  groves,  all 
was  new,  beautiful,  striking.  There  was  a  strange  light 
in  the  firmament  above,  a  glow  in  the  wave  beneath, 
such  as  she  had  not  seen  elsewhere ;  for  it  was  with  open 
hands  that  Nature  poured  out  her  dower  upon  Tahiti. 

She  went  for  a  ride ;  the  path  carried  her  through  a 
thick  growth  of  palm,  orange,  guava,  and  other  tropical 
trees,  some  of  which  were  thickly  draped  with  luxuriant 
creepers.  Conspicuous  among  the  latter  shone  a  gorgeous 
passion  flower,  with  orange-coloured  fruit  as  big  as  pump- 
kins, that  overspread  everything  with  its  vigour.  The 
path  was  everywhere  narrow  and  sometimes  steep ;  and 
frequently  the  horseman  had  almost  to  creep  under  the 
close  thick  crop  of  interlacing  boughs.  Crossing  several 
bright  little  streams,  it  climbed  to  the  summit  of  an 
eminence  which  commanded  on  the  one  side  a  prospect 
of  a  picturesque  waterfall,  on  the  other  side  of  a  deep 
ravine.  A  river  issuing  from  a  narrow  cleft  in  the  rock 
takes  but  one  mad  leap  from  the  edge  of  the  precipice 
into  the  valley  below,  a  leap  of  600  feet.  "First  one 
sees  the  rush  of  blue  water,  gradually  changing  m  its 
descent  to  a  cloud  of  white  spray,  which  in  its  turn  is  lost 
in  a  rainbow  of  mist.     Imagine  that  from  beneath  the 


LAW  BRASSEY.  ^59 

sli.ude  of  feathery  palms  and  broad-leaved  bananas  through 
a  network  of  ferns  and  creepers  you  are  lookim^  upon 
the  Staubbach,  in  Switzerland,  magnified  in  height,  and 
with  a  background  of  verdure-clad  mountains,  and  you 
will  have  some  idea  of  the  fall  of  Fuatawah."  * 

With  no  spot  that  she  touched  at  in  her  long  ocean 
wanderings  does  Lady  Brassey  seem  to  have  been  so 
delighted  as  with  Tahiti.  '•Sometimes,"  she  says,  "I 
think  that  all  I  have  seen  must  be  only  a  long  vision,  and 
that  too  soon  I  shall  awaken  to  the  cold  reality;  the 
flowers,  the  fruit,  the  colours  worn  by  every  one,  the 
whole  scene  and  its  surroundings,  seem  almost  too  fairy- 
like to  have  an  actual  existence."  Human  nature  is,  ot 
course,  the  same  everywhere  :  vice  and  sorrow  prevail  at 
Tahiti  as  in  the  reeking  slums  and  lanes  of  great  cities. 
It  is  only  of  the  outward  aspect  of  things  that  Lady 
Brassey  speaks,  for  she  saw  none  other,  and  assuredly  at 
Tahiti  that  is  fair  exceedingly,  and  well  calculated  to 
charm  a  cultivated  taste,  to  fill  a  refined  mind  with 
memories  of  beaut>'. 

From  Tahiti  we  pass  on  to  Hawaii,  the  chief  island  of 
the  Sandwich  group,  and  the  centre  of  a  civilization  that 
may  one  day  influence  the  direction  of  the  great  currents 
'of  commerce  in  the  Pacific.  The  Sunbeam  arrived 
there  on  the   22nd  of  December. 

"It  was  a  clear  afternoon.     The  mountains,  Mauna 

*  Lady  Brassey  :  **  A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam,'*  pp.  227,  228. 


56o  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Kea  and  Mauna  Loa,  could  be  plainly  seen  from  top  to< 
bottom,  their  giant  crests  rising  nearly  14,000  feet  above 
our  heads,  their  tree  and  fine  clad  slopes  seamed  with  deep- 
gulches  or  ravines,  down  each  of  which  a  fertilizing  river 
ran  into  the  sea.  Inside  the  reef  the  white  coral  shore, 
on  which  the  waves  seemed  too  lazy  to  break,  is  fringed, 
with  a  belt  of  cocoa-nut  palms,  amongst  which,  as  well 
as  on  the  hillside,  the  little  white  houses  are  prettily 
dotted.  All  are  surrounded  by  gardens,  so  full  of  flowers 
that  the  bright  patches  of  colour  were  plainly  visible  even- 
from  the  deck  of  the  yacht. 

Having  landed,  "we  went  for  a  stroll,  among  neat 
houses  and  pretty  gardens,  to  the  suspension-bridge  over- 
the  river,  followed  by  a  crowd  of  girls,  all  decorated  with , 
wreaths  and  garlands,  and  wearing  almost  the  same  dress 
that  we  had  seen  at  Tahiti — a  coloured,  long-sleeved, 
loose  gown  reaching  to  the  feet.  The  natives  here 
appear  to  affect  duller  colours  than  those  we  have  lately 
been  accustomed  to — lilac,  drab,  brown,  and  other  dark 
prints  being  the  favourite  tints.  Whenever  I  stopped  to< 
look  at  a  view,  one  of  the  girls  would  come  behind  me 
and  throw  a  lei  of  flowers  over  my  head,  fasten  it  round  my 
neck,  and  then  run  away  laughing,  to  a  distance,  to  judge 
of  effect.  The  consequence  was  that,  before  the  end  of' 
our  walk,  I  had  about  a  dozen  wreaths  of  various  colours . 
and  lengths,  hanging  round  me,  till  I  felt  almost  as  if  I 
had  a  fur  tippet  on,  they  made  me  so  hot ;  and  yet  I  didi 
not  like  to  take  them  off",  for  fear  of  hurting  the  poor  girls^ 
feelings.** 


A   GIRL   OF    TAHITI. 


LADY  BRASSEY.  361 

\Vherever  she  went  Lady  Brassey  seems  to  have  com- 
manded special  attention ;  partly  no  doubt  due  to  her 
own  personal  qualities,  and  partly  to  the  fact  that  English 
ladies  are  rare  visitors  in  the  Polynesian  islands — and 
especially  an  English  lady,  the  wife  of  a  member  of 
parliament,  who  sails  round  the  world  in  her  husband's 
yacht ! 

Lady  Brassey  made,  of  course,  an  excursion  to  the  great 
volcano  of  Kilauea,  of  which  Miss  Bird  has  furnished  a 
singularly  fine  description.  Lady  Brassey's  sketch  is  not 
60  elaborate  or  powerful  or  fully  coloured,  but  it  has  a 
charm  of  its  own  in  its  unassuming  simplicity.  Let  us  go 
with  her  on  a  visit  to  the  two  craters,  the  old  and  the 
new. 

And,  first  of  all,  we  descend  the  precipice,  300  feet  in 
depth,  which  forms  the  wall  of  the  original  crater,  but 
now  blooming  with  a  prodigal  vegetation.  In  many 
places  the  incline  is  so  steep  that  zigzag  flights  of  wooden 
steps  have  been  inserted  here  and  there  in  the  face  of  the 
cliff  in  order  to  facilitate  the  descent.  At  the  bottom  we 
step  on  to  a  surface  of  cold  boiled  lava,  and  even  here, 
in  every  chink  where  a  little  soil  has  collected,  Nature 
asserts  her  robust  vitality,  and  delicate  little  ferns  put  forth 
their  green  fronds  to  feel  the  light  An  extraordinary 
appearance  did  that  vast  lava  field  present,  contorted  as 
it  was  into  every  imaginable  shape  and  form,  according 
to  the  temperature  it  had  attained  and  the  rapidity  with 
which  it  had  cooled.  Here  and  there  a  patch  looked 
not  unlike  the  contents  of  a  caldron,  which  had  been 


362  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

petrified  in  the  very  act  of  boiling;  elsewhere  the 
•iridescent  lava  had  congealed  into  wave-like  ridges,  or 
fhuge  coils  of  rope,  closely  twisted  together.  Again  it 
might  be  seen  in  the  semblance  of  a  collection  of  organ- 
,  pipes,  or  accumulated  into  mounds  and  cones  of  various 

■  dimensions.  As  our  travellers  moved  forward,  they  felt 
'that  the  lava  grew  hotter  and  hotter,  and  from  every 
;  fissure  issued  gaseous  fumes,   which  seriously  affected 

their  noses  and  throats ;  till,  at  last,  when  passed  to 
leeward  of  the  lava-river  rolling  from  the  lake,  they  were 
.  almost  suffocated  by  the  vapour,  and  it  was  with  difficulty 
they  pursued  their  advance.  The  lava  was  more  glassy 
and  had  a  look  of  greater  transparency,  as  if  it  had  been 
fused  at  an  exceptionally   high   temperature;    and   the 

■  crystals  of  alum,  sulphur,  and  other  minerals  with  which 
it  abounded,   reflected    the   light  in   bright    prismatic 

•  colours.  In  some  places  the  transparency  was  complete, 
and  beneath  it  might  easily  be  seen  the  long  streaks  of 

•  that  fibrous  kind  of  lava,  connected  with  a  superstition 
•of  the  natives,  which  is  known  as  "  Pile's  hair." 

Lady  Brassey  and  her  companions  reached,  at  last,  the 
'■  foot  of  the  present  active  crater,  whence  the  molten  con- 
tents of  the  terrestrial  interior  are  continually  pouring 
forth  in  a  lurid  flood.  With  some  difficulty  they  gained 
the  summit — to  stand,  silent  and  spell-bound,  in  contem- 
plation of  a  spectacle  which  more  than  realizes  the  terrors 
of  the  ancient  Phlegethon.  The  precipice  overhung  a 
'basin  of  molten   fire,  measuring  nearly  a  mile   across 


LADV  BRASSEY.  363 

With  a  clang,  a  clash,  and  a  roar,  like  that  of  breakers  on 

a  rocky  coast,  waves  of  blood-red,  fiery,  liquid  lava  dashed 

against  the  opposing  cliffs,  and  flung  their  spume  high  up 

in   the   air — waves   which  were  never  still,   but  rolled 

onwards  incessantly  to  the  charge,  and  as  incessantly 

'retired — hustling  one  another  angrily,  and  hissing  and 

boiling  and    bubbling,   like   a   sea  chafed  by  adverse 

wind  and  current.      A  dull  dark  red,  like  that  of  the  lees 

•of  wine,  seems  the  normal  colour  of  the  surging  lava,  which 

was  covered,  however,  with  a  thin  grey  scum — this  scum, 

'Or  froth,  being  every  moment  and  everywhere  broken  by 

•eddies  and  jets  and  whirlpools  of  red  and  yellow  fire,  and 

occasionally  thrown  back  on  either  side  by  the  force 

and  rush  of  swift  golden-tinted  rivers.     On  one  side  of 

'the  lake  the  principal  object  of  attack  was  an  island,  d^rk 

•and   craggy,   against  which  the  lava- waves  rolled  with 

impetuous  fury.     On  the  other,  they  swept  precipitately 

into  a  great  cavern,  carrying  away  the  gigantic  stalactites 

which  hung  at  its  entrance,  and  filling  it  with  a  thunder- 

•ous  roar  like  that  of  contending  armies. 

Scenes  there  are  many  in  this  wide  world  of  ours  which 
neither  the  craft  of  the  scribe  nor  the  skill  of  the  painter 
•can  hope  to  reproduce,  and  this  is  one  of  them.  It  is 
awful  in  its  grandeur,  terrible  in  its  sublimity,  like 
Milton's  Satan.  It  fascinates,  and  yet  repels ;  charms  the 
•eye,  while  it  chills  the  heart  One  trembles  with  the 
^sense  of  a  dire  terrific  power,  which  at  any  moment 
'may  leap  into  the  clay,  and  sweep  the  shattered  island 


364  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

into  destruction.  But  dreadful  as  it  is  by  day,  a  deeper 
dread  attaches  to  it  by  night,  when  the  glare  of  those 
leaping  fountains  and  rolling  billows  of  molten  lava  is 
reflected  athwart  the  darkness  of  heaven.  And  as  the 
night  advances  and  the  darkness  increases,  a  wonderful 
phantasmagoria  of  colour  invests  the  fiery  lake — ^jet  black 
merges  suddenly  into  palest  grey;  the  deepest  maroon 
changes,  through  cherry  and  scarlet,  into  the  exquisitest 
hues  of  pink  and  blue  and  violet;  the  richest  brown 
pales,  through  orange  and  yellow,  into  a  delicate  straw. 
Lady  Brassey  adds  that  there  was  yet  another  shade,, 
which  can  be  described  only  by  the  term  "  molten  lava 
colour."  The  wreaths  and  wheeling  clouds  of  smoke  and. 
vapour  were  by  all  these  borrowed  lights  and  tints, 
translated  into  beautiful  gleaming  mist-like  creations — 
belonging  neither  to  earth  nor  air,  but  born  of  the  molten 
flame  and  seething  fire — which  seemed  splendidly  and 
appropriately  displayed  against  the  amphitheatre  of  black, 
peaks,  pinnacles,  and  crags  rising  in  the  background. 
Of  these  great  pieces  would  sometimes  break  off,  and 
with  a  crash  fall  into  the  burning  lake,  there  to  be 
remelted  and  in  due  time  thrown  up  anew.* 

The  time  spent  at  Honololu  by  Lady  Brassey  was  by 
no  means  wasted.  She  kept  both  eyes  and  ears  well  open, 
and  suffered  nothing  to  escape  her  which  could  throw 
any  light  on  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  Hawaiian, 
population.     Though  not  a  deep,  she  was  a  close  and, 

*  Lady  Brassey  :   **  Voyage  of  the  Sunbea?)i,''  pp.  256 — 262. 


LADY  BRASSEY.  165 

an  accurate  observer ;  and  her  book  may  advantageously 
be  consulted  by  others  than  the  "  general  reader." 

The  Hawaiians,  as  a  people  with  a  good  deal  of  leisure, 
upon  whose  shoulders  as  yet  civilization  has  laid  none 
of  its  heavier  burdens,  are  naturally  prone  to  amusement, 
and  cultivate  their  numerous  national  sports  with  a  good 
deal  of  energy  and  skill.  Foremost  amongst  these  is 
the  well-known  pastime  of  surf-swimming — a  pastime  the 
origin  of  which  it  is  not  difficult  to  understand.  It  is 
one  in  which  both  men  and  women  join.  Armed  with  a 
surf-board — a  flat  piece  of  wood,  about  four  feet  long  by 
two  feet  wide,  pointed  at  each  end — which  they  put 
edge-wise  in  front  of  them,  they  swim  out  into  the  broad 
and  beautiful  bay,  and  dive  under  the  surf-crested  billows 
of  the  Pacific.  When  at  a  certain  distance  from  the 
land,  a  distance  regulated  by  the  swimmer's  measure  of 
strength  and  address,  he  chooses  a  large  wave,  and  either 
astride,  or  kneeling,  or  standing  upon  his  board,  allows 
himself  to  be  swept  in  shore  upon  its  curling  crest  with 
headlong  speed.  The  spectator  might  almost  fancy  hira 
to  be  mounted  upon  the  sea-horse  of  ancient  myths,  and 
holding  its  grey  curling  mane,  as  it  snorts  and  champs 
and  plunges  shoreward,  wrapped  in  spray  and  foam.  To 
this  vigorous  sport  the  Hawaiians  are  exceedingly  partial. 
They  are  almost  to  the  manner  born,  for  from  their 
earliest  childhood  they  live  an  amphibious  life,  and 
never  seem  happier  than  when  they  are  diving,  swim- 
Toing,  bathing,  or  playing  tricks  in  the  bright  emerald 
waters  that  wash  the  smiling  shores  of  their  favoured 

24 


366  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

isle,  or  in  those  of  the  pleasant  river  that  flows  by  the 
groves  and  gardens  of  Hilo. 

On  a  sunny  afternoon  half  the  population  of  the  lattei 
town  may  be  seen  "  disporting  themselves  in,  upon,  and 
beneath  the  water."  Climbing  the  steep  and  rugged 
rocks  that  form  the  opposite  bank,  they  take  headers 
and  footers  and  siders  from  any  elevation  under  five-and- 
twenty  feet,  diving  and  swimming  in  every  imaginable 
attitude,  and  with  a  kind  of  easy  and  spontaneous  grace 
that  commands  admiration.  One  of  their  great  feats  is 
thus  described :  A  couple  of  natives  undertake  to  jump 
from  a  precipice,  one  hundred  feet  high,  into  the  river 
below,  clearing  in  their  descent  a  rock,  which  at  about  a 
distance  of  twenty  feet  from  the  summit,  projects  as  far 
from  the  face  of  the  cliff.  The  two  men — lithe,  tall,  and 
strong — are  seen  standing  on  the  green  height,  their  long 
hair  confined  by  a  wreath  of  leaves  and  flowers,  while  a 
similar  wreath  is  twisted  round  the  waist.  With  a  keen, 
quick  glance  they  measure  the  distance,  and  fall  back 
some  yards,  in  order  to  run  and  acquire  the  needful 
impetus.  Suddenly  one  of  them  reappears,  takes  a  flying 
leap  from  the  rock,  executes  a  somersault  in  mid-air,  and 
feet  foremost  plunges  into  the  pool  beneath,  to  rise  again 
almost  immediately,  and  climb  the  steep  river-bank  with 
an  air  of  serene  indifference.  His  companion  having 
performed  the  same  exploit,  the  two  clambered  up  to 
the  projection  of  which  we  have  spoken,  and  again 
dropped  into  the  river  waters  ;  a  less  wonderful  feat  than 
their  former,  but  still  one  requiring  both  pluck  and  skill. 


LADY  BRASSEY.  367 

Amonsr  the  games  mentioned  by  Lady  Brassey  are 
5j)ear-throwing,  transfixing  an  object  with  a  dart,  kona^ 
an  elaborate  kind  of  draughts,  and  talu^  which  consists 
in  hiding  a  small  stone  under  one  of  five  pieces  of  cloth 
placed  in  front  of  the  players.  One  hides  the  stone,  and 
his  companions  have  to  guess  where  it  is  hidden ;  and 
it  generally  happens  that,  however  skilfully  the  hider 
may  glide  his  arm  under  the  cloth  and  shift  from  one 
piece  to  another,  a  clever  player  detects  where  he  lets 
go  the  stone  by  the  movement  of  the  muscles  of  the 
upper  part  of  his  arm.  Another  game,  tarua,  resembles 
the  Canadian  sport  of  "  tobogonning,"  only  it  is  carried 
on  upon  the  grass  instead  of  upon  the  frozen  surface  of 
the  snow.  The  performers  stand  erect  on  a  narrow  plank, 
turned  up  in  front,  which  they  guide  with  a  kind  of 
paddle.  Starting  from  the  summit  of  a  hill  or  a  moun- 
tain, they  sweep  down  the  grassy  slopes  at  a  furious 
pace,  preserving  their  balance  with  admirable  dexterity. 
For  the  game  of  pahe^  which  is  also  very  popular,  a 
specially  prepared  smooth  floor  is  necessary,  and  along 
this  the  javelins  of  the  players  glide  like  snakes.  On 
the  same  kind  of  floor  they  play  maita^  or  uru  maita. 
Two  sticks  are  fixed  in  the  ground,  only  a  few  inches 
apart,  and  from  a  distance  of  thirty  or  forty  yards  the 
player  seeks  to  throw  a  stone — the  uru — between  them ; 
the  uru  being  circular  in  shape,  three  or  four  inches  in 
diameter,  and  an  inch  in  thickness,  except  at  the  middle, 
where  it  is  thicker.* 

•  l^ady  Brassey:   "  A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam"  pp.  268—373, 


368  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

We  pass  on  to  Japan,  and  accompany  Lady  Brassey 
to  a  Japanese  dinner  in  a  Japanese  tea-house.  The 
dinner  took  place  in  an  apartment  which,  as  an  exact 
type  of  a  room  in  any  Japanese  house,  may  fitly  be 
described.  The  roof  and  the  screens,  which  form  the 
sides,  are  all  made  of  a  handsome  dark-polished  wood 
resembling  walnut.  The  exterior  walls  under  the  ve- 
randah, as  well  as  the  partitions  between  the  other 
rooms,  are  simply  screens  of  wooden  lattice-work, 
covered  with  white  paper,  and  sliding  in  grooves ;  so 
that  a  person  walks  in  or  out  at  any  part  of  the  wall 
he  thinks  proper  to  select  or  finds  convenient.  This 
arrangement  necessarily  dispenses  with  doors  and  win- 
dows. If  you  wish  to  look  out,  you  open  a  little  bit  of 
your  wall,  or  a  larger  bit  if  you  step  out.  Instead  of 
carpets,  the  floor  is  strewn  with  several  thicknesses  of 
very  fine  mats,  each  about  six  feet  long  by  three  feet 
broad,  "deliciously  soft  to  walk  upon."  All  Japanese 
mats  are  of  the  same  size,  and  they  constitute  the 
standard  by  which  everything  connected  with  house- 
building or  house-furnishing  is  measured.  Once  you 
have  prepared  your  foundations  and  woodwork  of  the 
dimensions  of  so  many  mats,  you  may  go  to  a  shop  and 
buy  a  ready-made  house,  which  you  can  then  set  up 
and  furnish  in  the  light  Japanese  fashion  in  a  couple  of 
days ;  but  then  such  a  house  is  fitted  only  for  a  Japanese 
climate. 

In  the  room  into  which  Lady  Brassey  was  introduced 
was  raised,  on  one  side,  a  slight  dais,  about  four  inches 


LADY  BRASSEY.  3^9 

fiom  the  floor,  as  a  seat  of  honour.  A  stool,  a  little 
bronze  ornament,  and  a  China  vase,  in  which  a  branch 
of  cherry-blossom  and  a  few  flag-leaves  were  gracefully 
arranged,  occupied  it.  On  the  wall  behind  hung  pic- 
tures, which  are  changed  every  month,  according  to  the 
season  of  the  year.  Four  comely  Japanese  girls  brought 
thick  cotton  quilts  for  the  visitors  to  sit  upon,  and 
braziers  full  of  burning  charcoal  that  they  might  warm 
themselves.  In  the  centre  they  placed  another  brazier, 
protected  by  a  square  wooden  grating,  with  a  large  silk 
eider-down  quilt  laid  over  it,  to  keep  in  the  heat.  "  This 
is  the  way  in  which  all  the  rooms,  even  bedrooms,  are 
warmed  in  Japan,  and  the  result  is  that  fires  are  of  very 
frequent  occurrence.  The  brazier  is  kicked  over  by 
some  restless  or  careless  person,  and  in  a  moment  the 
whole  place  is  in  a  blaze." 

In  due  time  brazier  and  quilt  are  removed,  and  dinner 
makes  its  appearance.  Before  each  guest  is  placed  a 
small  lacquer  table,  about  six  inches  high,  with  a  pair  of 
chop-sticks,  a  basin  of  soup,  a  bowl  of  rice,  a  saki  cup, 
and  a  basin  of  hot  water;  while  in  the  middle  sat  the 
four  Japanese  Hebes,  with  fires  to  keep  the  saki  hot, 
and  light  the  long  pipes  they  carried,  from  which  they 
wished  their  visitors  to  take  a  whiff"  after  each  dish. 
Saki  is  a  kind  of  spirit,  distilled  from  rice,  always 
drunk  hot  out  of  small  cups.  It  is  not  unpleasant  in 
this  state,  but  when  cold  few  European  palates  can 
relish  it. 

Ihe  Japanese  cookery  was  very  good,  though  some  of 


370  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

the  dishes  were  compounded  of  ingredients  not  generally 

mixed  together  by  the  cooks  of  the  West.     Here  is  the 

bill  of  fare  : — 

Soup. 

Shrimps  and  Seaweeds. 

Prawns,  Egq;  Omelette,  and  Preserved  Grapes. 

Fried  Fish,  Spinach,  Young  Rushes,  and  Young  Ginger. 

Raw  Fish,  Mustard  and  Cress,  Horseradish,  and  Soy. 

Thick  Soup — of  Eggs,  Fish,  Mushrooms,  and  Spinach ;  Grilled 

Fish. 

Fried  Chicken  and  Bamboo  Shoots. 

Turnip  Tops  and  Root  Pickled. 

Rice  ad  libitum  in  a  large  bowL 

Hot  Saki,  Pipes,  and  Tea. 

The  last  dish  presented  was  an  enormous  lacquer  box 
of  rice,  from  which  all  the  bowls  were  filled — the  rice 
being  thence  carried  to  the  mouth  of  each  guest  by 
means  of  chopsticks,  in  the  use  of  which  it  is  only 
practice  that  makes  perfect 

Between  each  course  a  long  interval  occurred,  which 
was  filled  up  with  songs,  music,  and  dancing,  performed 
by  professional  singing  and  dancing  girls.  The  music 
was  somewhat  harsh  and  monotonous  ;  but  a  word  of 
praise  may  be  given  to  the  songs  and  to  the  dancing,  or 
rather  posturing,  for  there  was  little  of  that  agility  of 
foot  practised  by  European  dancers.  "  The  girls,  wha 
were  pretty,  wore  peculiar  dresses  to  indicate  their 
calling,  and  seemed  of  an  entirely  different  stamp  from 
the  quiet,  simply-dressed  waitresses  whom  we  found  so 
attentive  to  our  wants ;  still  they  all  looked  cheery, 
light-hearted,  simple  creatures,  and  appeared  to  en  joy 


LADY  BRASSEY.  371 

rmmensely  the  little  childish  games  they  played  amongst 
themselves  between  whiles."* 

This  "Voyage  Round  the  World,"  from  which  we 
must  now  turn  aside,  does  not  sum  up  Lady  Brasse/s 
achievements  as  a  traveller.  She  accompanied  her 
husband,  in  1874,  on  a  cruise  to  the  Arctic  Circle,  but 
has  published  no  record  of  this  enterprise.  On  their 
return,  the  indefatigable  couple  started  on  a  voyage  to 
the  East,  visiting  Constantinople,  the  city  of  gilded 
palaces  and  mosques,  of  harems  and  romance ;  and 
skimming  the  sunny  waters  of  the  Bosphorus  and  the 
Golden  Horn.  In  1878  they  made  a  second  excursion 
to  the  Mediterranean,  revisiting  Constantinople,  and 
seeing  it  in  storm  and  shadow  as  they  had  previously 
seen  it  in  sunshine ;  and  exploring  Cyprus,  which  then 
had  been  but  recently  brought  under  British  dominion. 


*  Lady  Brassey :  "A  Voyage  in  the  Sunbeam"  pp.  309 — 312. 
With  this  Japanese  bill  of  fare  we  may  contrast  a  Chinese  bill  of 
fare  which  Lady  Brassey  preserves  : — 

Four  courses  of  small  bowls ^  one  to  each  guest,  viz. — Bird's-nest 
Soup,  Pigeon's  Eggs,  Ice  Fungus  (said  to  grow  on  ice),  Shark's 
Fins  (chopped). 

Eight  large  bowls,  viz. — Stewed  Shark's  Fins,  Fine  Shell  Fish, 
Mandarin  Bird's  Nest,  Canton  Fish  Maw,  Fish  Brain,  Meat  Balls 
with  Rock  Fungus,  Pigeons  stewed  with  Wai  Shau  (a  strengthen- 
ing herb),  Stewed  Mushroom. 

Four  dishesy  viz. — Sliced  Ham,  Roast  Mutton,  Fowls,  Roast 
Sucking  Pig. 

One  large  dish,  viz. — Boiled  Rock  Fish. 

Eight  small  bowls,  viz. — Stewed  Pig's  Palate,  Minced  Quails, 
Stewed  Fungus,  Sinews  of  the  Whale  Fish,  Rolled  Roast  Fowl, 
Sliced  Seals,  Stewed  Duck's  Paws,  Peas  Stewed. 


372  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

Lady  Brassey's  narrative  of  her  Mediterranean  cruises 
and  Oriental  experiences  has  the  distinctive  merits  of 
her  former  work  —the  same  unpretending  simplicity  and 
clearness  of  style,  the  same  quick  appreciation  of  things 
that  float  upon  the  surface ;  but  it  necessarily  lacks  its 
interest  and  special  value.  It  goes  over  familiar — nay, 
over  hackneyed — ground,  and  thus  inevitably  comes  into 
comparison  with  the  works  of  preceding  travellers,  such 
as  Miss  Martineau  and  the  author  of  "  Eothen,"  to 
whose  high  standard  Lady  Brassey  would  be  the  first  to 
acknowledge  that  she  has  no  pretensions  to  attain. 

There  is  a  certain  amount  of  freshness  in  the  following 
brief  sketch  of  Athens'^  :  — 

"  We  drove  first  to  the  Temple  of  Theseus,  the  most 
perfectly  preserved  temple  of  the  ancient  world.  The 
situation  has  sheltered  it  from  shot  and  shell ;  but, 
without  doubt,  it  owes  its  escape  from  destruction  in 
part  to  the  circumstance  that  in  the  Middle  Ages  it  was 
consecrated  as  a  church.  It  is  a  beautiful  building,  with 
its  double  row  of  columns,  bas-reliefs,  and  roof  all 
perfect,  and  now  contains  an  interesting  collection  of 
antiquities,  gathered  from  its  immediate  neighbourhood. 
Thence  we  drove  up  the  hill  to  the  Acropolis,  passing  on 
our  way  the  modern  observatory  on  the  Hill  of  the 
Nymphs.  The  Hill  of  Pnyx  rose  on  our  right,  and  the 
Areopagus,  where  St.  Paul  preached,  on  our  left.  We 
entered   the   gates,    and,    passing    among  ruins   of   all 

•  Lady  Brassey :  **  Sunshine  and  Storm  in  the  East,"  pp.  41     44. 


LADY  BRASSEY.  373 

kinds — statues,  bas-reliefs,  columns,  capitals,  and  friezes 
— soon  approached  the  propylaea.  Then  we  went  to 
the  little  Temple  of  Victory,  closed  with  iron  gates, 
and  full  of  most  exquisite  bits  of  statues  and  bas-reliefs, 
specially  two  dancing  girls,  graceful  in  attitude  and 
full  of  life  and  action.  After  these  preliminary  peeps 
at  loveliness  and  art,  we  went  up  the  long  flight  of 
steps,  past  the  Pinartheca,  and  soon  stood  on  the  top 
of  the  Hill  of  the  Acropolis,  and  in  full  view  of  all 
its  glories. 

"  On  one  side  was  the  splendid  Parthenon,  on  the 
other  the  Erechtheum,  with  the  Porch  of  Caryatides, 
called  Beautiful,  and  right  well  it  deserves  its  name. 
Six  noble  columns  are  still  standing.  We  strolled  about 
for  a  long  time,  took  some  photographs,  admired  the 
iovely  panoramic  view  from  the  top — over  the  town  of 
Athens  to  Eleusis,  Salamis,  and  Corinth  on  one  side, 
and  from  Mount  Pentelicus  and  Mount  Hymettus  to  the 
Elysian  Fields,  till  our  eyes  wandered  round  by  the 
ancient  harbours  of  Phalisum  and  Piraeus;  back  again 
by  the  Street  of  Tombs  to  Athens,  looking  more  dusty 
and  more  grey  than  ever  as  we  gazed  down  on  its  grey- 
tiled  roofs.  Even  the  gardens  and  palm-trees  hardly 
relieved  it.  It  was  nearly  three  o'clock  before  we  could 
tear  ourselves  away." 

This  is  very  natural  and  simple,  though  it  is  hardly 
-what  we  should  expect  from  a  cultivated  woman  after 
visiting  the  memorials  of  Greek  art  and  history,  and 
<he  great  and  beautiful  city  of  the  "  violet  moon."     A 


374  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

greater  enthusiasm,  a  more  living  sympathy,  might 
surely  have  been  provoked  by  the  sight  of  the  blue  sea 
where  Themistocles  repulsed  the  navies  of  Persia,  and 
the  glorious  hill  on  whose  crest  St.  Paul  spake  to  the 
wondering  Athenians,  and  the  monuments  of  the  genius 
of  Praxiteles  and  Phidias.  Lady  Brassey,  however,  is 
not  at  her  best  when  treating  of  the  places  and  things 
which  antiquity  has  hallowed:  it  is  the  aspects  of  the 
life  of  to-day  and  the  picturesque  scenes  of  savage  lands, 
that  arrest  her  attention  most  firmly,  and  are  reproduced 
by  her  most  vividly.  She  is  more  at  home  in  the 
Hawaiian  market  than  among  the  ruined  temples  of" 
Athens. 

The  reader  may  not  be  displeased  to  take  a  glance 
at  Nikosia,  the  chief  town  of  Cyprus — of  that  famous 
island  which  calls  up  such  stirring  memories  of  the 
old  chivalrous  days  when  Richard  I.  and  his  Crusaders 
landed  here,  and  the  lion-hearted  king  became  enamoured 
of  Berengaria,  the  daughter  of  the  Cypriot  prince. 

"The  town  is  disappointing  inside,"  she  says,  "al- 
though there  are  some  fine  buildings  still  left.  The  old; 
cathedral  of  St.  Sophia,  now  used  as  a  mosque,  is 
superb  in  the  richness  of  its  design  and  tracery,  and  the 
purity  of  its  Gothic  architecture.  Opposite  the  cathedral 
is  the  Church  of  St.  Nicholas,  now  used  as  a  granary. 
The  three  Gothic  portals  are  among  the  finest  I  have 
ever  seen.  Every  house  in  Nikosia  possesses  a  luxuriant 
garden,  and  the  bazaars  are  festooned  with  vines ;  but. 
the    whole    place    wears,    notwithstanding,    an    air    oi^ 


LADY  BRASSEY.  375. 

desolation,  ruin,  and  dirt.  Government  House  is  one 
of  the  last  of  the  old  Turkish  residences. 

"  From  the  Turkish  prison  we  passed  through  a^ 
narrow  dirty  street,  with  ruined  houses  and  wasted 
gardens  on  either  side,  out  into  the  open  country 
again,  when  a  sharp  canter  over  the  plain  and  through- 
a  small  village  brought  us  to  the  place  where  the  new 
Government  House  is  in  course  of  erection.  This  spot 
is  called  Snake  Hill,  from  two  snakes  having  once  been 
discovered  and  killed  here,  a  fact  which  shows  how  idle 
are  the  rumours  of  the  prevalence  of  poisonous  reptiles 
in  the  island.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  meet  with  them,  and 
I  have  seen  one  or  two  collectors  who  had  abandoned 
in  despair  the  idea  of  doing  so.  The  site  selected  for 
Government  House  is  a  commanding  one,  looking  over 
river,  plain,  town,  mountain,  and  what  were  once 
forests.  .   .  . 

"  Leaving  the  walls  of  the  city  behind,  we  crossed  a 
sandy,  stony  plain.  For  about  two  hours  we  saw  no- 
signs  of  fertility ;  but  we  then  began  to  pass  through 
vineyards,  cotton-fields,  and  pomegranates,  olive  and 
orange  tree  plantations,  till  we  reached  the  house  of  a 
rich  Armenian,  whose  brother  is  one  of  the  interpreters 
at  the  camp.  His  wife  and  daughters  came  out  to- 
receive  us,  and  conducted  us  along  a  passige  full  of 
girls  picking  cotton,  and  through  two  floors  stored  with 
sesame,  grain  of  various  kinds,  cotton,  melons,  gourds, 
&c,  to  a  suite  of  spacious  rooms  on  the  upper  floor, 
opening  into  one  another,  with  windows  looking  over  a. 


376  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

valley.  Oh !  the  delight  of  reposing  on  a  Turkish 
"divan,  in  a  cut  stone-built  house,  after  that  long  ride 
in  the  burning  heat  !  Truly,  the  sun  of  Cyprus  is  as 
a  raging  lion,  even  in  this  month  of  November.  What, 
then,  must  it  be  in  the  height  of  summer !  The 
officers  all  agree  in  saying  that  they  have  never  felt 
anything  like  it,  even  in  the  hottest  parts  of  India  or 
the  tropics.  .  .  . 

'*  After  that  we  mounted  fresh  mules,  and  rode  up 
the  valley,  by  the  running  water,  to  the  point  where  it 
.^shes  from  the  hill,  or  rather  mountain,  side — a  clear 
stream  of  considerable  power.  It  rises  suddenly  from 
the  limestone  rock  at  the  foot  of  Pentadactylon,  nearly 
3,000  feet  high,  in  the  northern  range  of  mountains. 
No  one  knows  whence  it  springs ;  but  from  the  earliest 
times  it  has  been  celebrated,  and  some  writers  have 
asserted  that  it  comes  all  the  way,  under  the  sea,  from 
the  mountains  of  Keramania,  in  Asia  Minor.  The 
•effect  produced  is  magical,  trees  and  crops  of  all  kinds 
flourishing  luxuriantly  under  its  fertilizing  influence. 
The  village  of  Kythrsea  itself  nestles  in  fruit-trees 
and  flowering  shrubs,  and  every  wall  is  covered  with 
maiden-hair  fern,  the  fronds  of  which  are  frequently 
four  and  five  feet  long.  The  current  of  the  stream 
is  used  to  turn  many  mills,  some  of  the  most 
primitive  character,  but  all  doing  their  work  well, 
though  the  strong  water-power  is  capable  of  much 
fuller  development.  .  .  . 

"  It  was  nearly  dark  when  we  started  to  return ;  and 


LADY  BRASSEY.  yn 

it  was  with  many  a  stumble,  but  never  a  tumble,  that 
we  galloped  across  the  stony  plain,  and  reached  the 
camp  about  seven  p.m.  Here  we  found  a  silk  mer- 
chant from  Nikosia  waiting  to  see  us,  with  a  collection 
of  the  soft  silks  of  the  country,  celebrated  since  the  days 
of  Boccaccio.  They  look  rather  like  poplin,  but  are 
really  made  entirely  of  silk,  three-quarters  of  a  yard  in 
width,  and  costing  about  three  shillings  a  yard,  the 
piece  being  actually  reckoned  in  piastres  for  price  and 
pies  for  measurement  The  prettiest,  I  think,  are  those 
which  are  undyed  and  retain  the  natural  colour  of  the 
cocoon,  from  creamy- white  to  the  darkest  gold.  Some 
prefer  a  sort  of  slaty  grey,  of  which  a  great  quantity  is 
made,  but  I  think  it  is  very  ugly." 

In  this  easy,  gossiping  manner  Lady  Brassoy  ambles 
on,  not  telling  one  anything  that  is  particularly  new, 
but  recording  what  really  met  her  eye  in  the  most  un- 
pretending fashion.  As  a  writer  she  scarcely  calls  for 
criticism  :  she  writes  with  fluency  and  accuracy,  but 
never  warms  up  into  eloquence,  and  her  reflections  are 
not  less  commonplace  than  her  style.  As  a  traveller 
she  deserves  the  distinction  and  popularity  she  has 
attained.  It  would  seem  that  in  her  various  cruises  she 
has  accomplished  some  12,000  miles — in  itself  no  in- 
considerable feat  for  an  English  lady;  but  the  feat 
becomes  all  the  more  noteworthy  when  we  find  that, 
instead  of  being,  as  we  would  naturally  suppose,  "at 
home  on  the  sea,"  and  wholly  untouched  by  the  suffering 
it  inflicts  on   so   many,  she  has  always  been  a  victim. 


378  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

Entering  the  harbour  of  Valetta  on  her  homeward 
voyage,  she  writes : — "  I  think  that  at  last  the  battle  of 
eighteen  years  is  accomplished,  and  that  the  bad  weather 
we  have  so  continually  experienced  since  we  left  Con- 
stantinople, comprising  five  gales  in  eleven  days,  has 
'ended  by  making  me  a  good  sailor.  For  the  last  two 
'days  I  have  really  known  what  it  is  to  feel  absolutely 
well  at  sea,  even  when  it  is  very  rough,  and  have  been 
able  to  eat  my  meals  in  comfort,  and  even  to  read  and 
write,  without  feeling  that  my  head  belonged  to  some- 
ibody  else."* 

**  Lady  Brassey :  **  Sunshine  and  Storm  in  the  East,"  p.  431. 


^^^y 


w^m^mB 


LADY  MORGAN  AND  OTHERS. 

AMONG  literary  travellers  a  place  must  be  assigned 
to  Lady  Morgan  (born  1777),  the  novelist,  who  in 
•her  books  of  travel  exhibits  most  of  the  qualities  which 
lend  a  characteristic  zest  to  her  fictions.  She  and  her 
husband,  Sir  Charles  Morgan,  visited  France  in  1815, 
.and  compounded  a  book  upon  it,  which,  as  France  had 
been  for  so  many  years  shut  against  English  tourists, 
produced  a  considerable  sensation,  and  was  eagerly 
•read.  Its  sketches  are  very  bright  and  amusing,  and  its 
.naive  egotism  was  pardonable,  considering  the  flatteries 
which  Parisian  society  had  heaped  upon  its  author.  Ite 
-liberal  opinions,  which  the  Conservatives  of  to-day 
would  pronounce  milk-and-water,  fluttered  the  dove-cotes 
•of  Toryism  under  the  regime  of  Lord  Liverpool,  and 
provoked  Wilson  Croker,  the  "  Rigby  "  of  Lord  Beacons- 
field's  "  Coningsby,"  to  fall  upon  it  tooth  and  naiL 
Lady  Morgan  revenged  herself  by  putting  her  scurrilous 
uUachk  into  her  next  novel,  "  Florence  Macarthy," 
where  he  figures  as  Crawley.     In  18 19  the  book-making 


38c  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

couple  repaired  to  Italy,  and,  of  course,  a  sojourn  in» 
Italy  meant  a  book  upon  Italy,  which  Lord  Byron- 
declared  to  be  very  faithful.  It  is  said  to  have  produced 
a  greater  impression  than  even  the  book  upon  France ;. 
and  as  a  tolerably  accurate  representation  of  the  moral 
and  political  condition  of  Italy  at  the  period  of  the 
Bourbon  restoration,  it  has  still  some  value. 

In  1830  Lady  Morgan's  fecund  pen  compiled  a 
second  book  upon  France,  which,  indeed,  seemed  to- 
exist  in  order  that  Lady  Morgan  might  write  upon  it. 
This  second  book,  like  its  predecessor,  is  cleverly  and 
smartly  written ;  it  contains  many  lively  descriptions, 
and  some  just  criticisms  upon  men  and  things.  Names, 
appear  upon  each  page,  with  a  personal  sketch  or  a  moty 
which  makes  the  reader  at  once  of  their  society. 
There  is  a  visit  to  B^ranger,  the  great  French  lyrist, 
in  the  prison  of  La  Force ;  and  there  are  two  memor- 
able dinners,  one  at  the  Comte  de  Segur's,  with  a  record 
of  the  conversation,  as  graphic  and  amusing  as  if  it 
were  not  on  topics  half  a  century  old ;  the  other  is^ 
a  dinner  at  Baron  Rothschild's,  dressed  by  the  great 
Careme,  who  had  erected  a  column  of  the  most 
ingenious  confectionery  architecture,  and  inscribed  Lady^ 
Morgan's  name  upon  it  in  spun  sugar.  Very  com- 
plimentary, but,  unfortunately,  sadly  prophetic  !  It  is. 
only  upon  "  spun  sugar "  that  her  name  was  inscribed 
by  herself  or  others.  f 

Mrs.  Mary  Somerville,  the  illustrious  astronomer  and 
physicist,  would  not  have  claimed  for  herself  the  distinc- 


LADY  MORGAN  AND  OTHERS.  381 

tion  of  traveller,  nor  has  she  written  any  complete  book 
ol  travel ;  but  there  are  sketches  of  scenery  in  her 
"  Personal  Recollections "  which  make  one  wish  that 
she  had  done  so.  And,  indeed,  the  fine  colouring  of 
the  pictures  which  occur  in  her  "  Physical  Geography  " 
show  that  she  had  the  artist's  eye  and  the  artist's 
descriptive  faculty,  both  so  essential  to  the  full  enjoy- 
ment of  travel.  Much  clear  and  forcible  writing,  with 
many  vivacious  observations,  will  be  found  in  the 
•'  Sketches  and  Characteristics  of  Hindustan,"  published 
by  Miss  Emma  Roberts  in  1835.  More  minute  and 
exact  are  the  details  which  Mrs.  Postans  has  collected 
in  reference  to  the  mode  of  life,  the  religion,  and  the 
old  forms  of  society  and  government  in  one  of  the 
north-western  provinces  of  India,  under  the  title  of 
"  Cutch."  It  includes  a  very  animated  account  of  a 
Suttee,  that  cruel  mode  of  compulsory  self-sacrifice 
which  the  British  Government  has  since  prohibited. 
On  this  occasion  the  widow,  a  remarkably  handsome 
woman,  apparently  about  thirty,  seems  really  to  have 
been  a  willing  victim,  and  behaved  with  the  utmost 
composure. 

*'  Accompanied  by  the  officiating  Brahmin,  the  widow 
walked  seven  times  round  the  pyre,  repeating  the 
usual  mantras,  or  prayers,  strewing  rice  and  cowries  on 
the  ground,  and  sprinkling  water  from  her  hand  over 
the  bystanders,  who  believe  this  to  be  efficacio-as  in 
preventing  disease  and  in  expiating  committed  sins. 
She  then  removed  her  jewels  and  presented  them  to  her 

25 


382  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

relations,  saying  a  few  words  to  each  with  a  calm,  soft 
smile  of  encouragement  and  hope.  The  Brahmins  then 
presented  her  with  a  lighted  torch,  bearing  which 

'  Fresh  as  a  flower  just  blown, 
And  warm  with  life,  her  youthful  pulses  playing,* 

she  stepped  through  the  fatal  door,  and  sat  within  the 
pile.  The  body  of  her  husband,  wrapped  in  rich 
kincob,  was  then  carried  seven  times  round  the  pile, 
and  finally  laid  across  her  knees.  Thorns  and  grass 
were  piled  over  the  door,  and  the  European  officers 
present  insisted  that  free  space  should  be  left,  as  it  was 
hoped  the  poor  victim  might  yet  relent,  and  rush  from 
her  fiery  prison  to  the  protection  so  freely  offered.  The 
command  was  readily  obeyed ;  the  strength  of  a  child 
would  have  sufficed  to  burst  the  frail  barrier  which 
confined  her,  and  a  breathless  pause  succeeded ;  but 
the  woman's  constancy  was  faithful  to  the  last.  Not  a 
sigh  broke  the  death-like  silence  of  the  crowd,  until  a 
slight  smoke  curling  from  the  summit  of  the  pyre,  and 
then  a  tongue  of  flame  darting  with  bright  and  lightning- 
like rapidity  into  the  clear  blue  sky,  told  us  that  the 
sacrifice  was  complete.  Fearlessly  had  this  courageous 
woman  fired  the  pile,  and  not  a  groan  had  betrayed 
to  us  the  moment  when  her  spirit  fled.  At  sight  of  the 
flame  a  fiendish  shout  of  exultation  rent  the  air,  the 
tom-toms  sounded,  the  people  clapped  their  hands  with 
delight  as  the  evidence  of  their  murderous  work  burst 
on  their  view ;  whilst  the  English  spectators  of  this  sad 


LADY  MORGAN  AND  OTHERS. 


3'i3 


scene  withdrew,  bearing  deep  compassion  in  their  hearts, 
to  philosophize  as  best  they  might  on  a  custom  so 
fraught  with  horror,  so  incompatible  with  reason,  and  so 
revolting  to  human  sympathy.  The  pile  continued  to 
burn  for  three  hours ;  but  from  its  form  it  is  supposed 
that  almost  immediate  suffocation  must  have  terminated 
the  sufferings  of  the  unhappy  victim." 

There  is  a  very  charming  book,  brightly  written,  and 
dealing  with  an  interesting  people,  which  reaches  very 
biffh  in  the  literature  of  travel.  We  refer  to  Lady  East- 
lake's  "Residence  on  the  Shores  of  the  Baltic,  de- 
scribed in  a  series  of  Letters,"  in  which,  with  a  polished 
pen  and  a  quick  observation,  she  sets  before  us  the 
patriarchal  simplicity  of  life  and  honest  character  of  the 
Esthonians.  Travel-books  by  ladies  were  rare  at  the 
time  that  Lady  Eastlake  (then  Miss  Rigby)  wrote,  and 
the  success  of  her  work  was  influenced,  no  doubt,  by 
this  rarity ;  but  its  reputation  may  well  rest  upon  its 
genuine  merit.  Only,  justice  compels  us  to  say  that 
writing  of  almost  equal  merit,  sometimes  of  superior, 
is  now  poured  out  every  year,  nay,  every  month,  by 
adventurers  of  the  "  other  sex."  A  female  traveller  has 
ceased  to  be  a  rara  avis;  delicately-nurtured  women 
now  climb  Mont  Blanc  or  penetrate  into  the  Norwegian 
forests,  or  cross  the  Pacific,  or  traverse  sandy  deserts,  or  \ 
visit  remote  isles,  in  company  with  their  husbands  and 
brothers,  or  "unprotected."  This  great  and  rapid 
increase  in  the  number  of  female  travellers  is  partly 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  greater  facilities  of  locomotion; 


^iA-k/? 


384 


WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 


but  we  believe  it  is  also  due  to  the  greater  freedom 
which  women  of  late  years  have  successfully  claimed^ 
and  to  the  consequent  development  of  powers  and 
faculties,  their  possession  of  which  was  long  ignored 
or  denied. 


MRS.     TROLLOPE. 


FRANCES  MILTON,  so  well  known  in  English 
literature  under  her  married  name  of  Trollope, 
was  bom  at  Heathfield  Parsonage  in  Hampshire,  in  1787. 
She  received,  under  her  father's  supervision,  a  very  care- 
ful education,  and  developed  her  proclivities  for  literary 
composition  at  an  early  age.  She  was  but  eighteen  when 
she  accepted  the  hand  of  Mr.  Thomas  A.  Trollope,  a 
barrister,  and  the  cares  and  duties  of  married  life  for 
some  years  diverted  her  energies  into  a  different  channel. 
The  true  bent  of  her  talents — a  sharp,  bold,  and  some- 
what coarse  satire — she  did  not  discover  until  after  her 
visit  to  the  United  States  (1829 — 1831).  There  she  con- 
ceived an  antipathy  to  American  manners  and  customs, 
which  seems  to  have  awakened  her  powers  of  sarcasm, 
and  resulted  in  her  first  publication,  *'  Domestic  Life  of 
the  Americans."  The  peculiarities  she  had  found  so 
obnoxious  she  sketched  with  a  strong,  rough  hand ;  and 
the  truth  of  her  drawing  was  proved  by  the  wrathful 
feelings  which  it  provoked  in  the  breasts  of  its  victims. 


386  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Reading  it  now,  we  are  naturally  inclined  to  think  it  a  cari- 
cature and  an  exaggeration ;  but  it  is  only  fair  to  remem- 
ber that,  since  its  appearance  half  a  century  ago,  a  great 
change  has  come  over  the  temper  of  American  society. 
The  great  fault  of  Mrs.  TroUope  is,  that  she  is  always  a 
critic  and  never  a  judge.  She  looks  at  everything 
through  the  magnifying  lens  of  a  microscope.  And, 
again,  it  must  be  admitted  that  she  is  often  vulgar; 
whatever  the  want  ^f  refinement  in  American  society,  it  is 
almost  paralleled  by  the  want  of  refinement  in  her  lively^ 
but  coarsely-coloured  pages.  For  the  rest,  she  is  a 
shrewd  observer ;  has  a  considerable  insight  into  human 
nature,  especially  on  its  "  seamy  side  " ;  and  if  a  hard 
hitter,  generally  keeps  her  good  temper,  and  does  not 
resent  a  fair  stroke  froman  antagonist.  As  a  humorist 
she  takes  high  rank :  there  are  scenes  in  her  novels,  as 
well  as  in  her  records  of  travel,  which  are  marked  by  a 
real  and  vigorous,  if  somewhat  masculine,  fun.  Perhaps 
some  of  her  defects  are  due  to  the  influences  among 
which  she  lived — that  ultra  Toryism  of  the  Castlereagh 
school  which  resented  each  movement  of  reform,  each 
impulse  of  progress,  as  a  direct  revolutionary  conspiracy 
against  everything  approved  and  established  by  "  the 
wisdom  of  our  ancestors  " — that  narrowness  of  thought 
and  shallowness  of  feeling  which  resisted  all  change, 
even  when  its  necessity  was  most  apparent. 

That  Mrs.  Trollope's  prejudices  sometimes  prevail 
over  her  sense  of  justice  is  apparent  in  the  ridicule  she 
lavishes  upon  the  rigid  observance  of  the  Sabbath  by 


MRS.   TROLLOPE.  387 

the  American  people.  She  forgot  thit  they  inherited 
it  from  the  English  Puritans.  If  her  evidence  may  be 
accepted,  it  amounted  in  her  day  to  a  bigotry  as  im- 
placable as  that  of  the  straitest  sect  of  the  Scotch 
Presbyterians  a  generation  ago.  She  tells  an  anecdote 
to  the  following  efifect :— A  New  York  tailor  sold,  on  a 
Sunday,  some  clothes  to  a  sailor  whose  ship  was  on  the 
point  of  sailing.  The  Guild  of  Tailors  immediately  made 
their  erring  brother  the  object  of  the  most  determined 
persecution,  and  succeeded  in  ruining  him.  A  lawyer 
who  had  undertaken  his  defence  lost  all  his  clients.  The 
nephew  of  this  lawyer  sought  admission  to  the  bar.  His 
certificates  were  perfectly  regular ;  but  on  his  presenting 
himself  he  was  rejected,  with  the  curt  explanation  that  no 
man  bearing  the  name  of  F —  (his  uncle's  name)  would 
be  admitted.  We  need  hardly  add  that  such  fanaticism 
as  this  would  not  be  possible  now  in  the  United  States. 

Mrs.  TroUope's  animadversions  are  obsolete  on  many 
other  subjects.  Much  of  her  indignation  was  necessarily, 
and  very  justly  bestowed  on  the  then  flourishing  institu- 
tion of  domestic  slavery ;  but  that  foul  blot  on  her 
scutcheon  America  wiped  out  in  blood,  the  blood  of 
thousands  of  her  bravest  children.  Her  criticism  upon 
manners  and  social  customs  has  also,  to  a  great  extent, 
lost  its  power  of  application.  Of  its  liveliness  and 
pungency  we  may  give,  however,  a  specimen;  her  de- 
scription of  the  day's  avocations  of  a  Philadelphian  lady 
of  the  first  class  : — 

"  This  lady,"  she  says,  '*  shall  be  the  wife  of  a  senator 


388  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

and  a  lawyer  in  the  highest  repute  and  practice.  She 
has  a  very  handsome  house,  with  white  marble  steps  and 
door-posts,  and  a  delicate  silver  knocker  and  door-handle; 
she  has  very  handsome  drawing-rooms,  very  handsomely 
furnished  (there  is  a  side-board  in  one  of  them,  but  it  is 
very  handsome,  and  has  very  handsome  decanters  and 
cut-glass  water  jugs  upon  it) ;  she  has  a  very  handsome 
carriage  and  a  very  handsome  free  black  coachman ;  she 
is  always  very  handsomely  dressed  ;  and,  moreover,  she  is 
very  handsome  herself. 

*'  She  rises,  and  her  first  hour  is  spent  in  the  scrupu- 
lously nice  arrangement  of  her  dress ;  she  descends  to 
her  parlour  neat,  stiff,  and  silent ;  her  breakfast  is 
brought  in  by  her  free  black  footman  ;  she  eats  her  fried 
bean  and  her  salt  fish,  and  drinks  her  coffee  in  silence, 
while  her  husband  reads  one  newspaper,  and  puts  another 
under  his  elbow ;  and  then,  perhaps,  she  washes  the  cups 
and  saucers.  Her  carriage  is  ordered  at  eleven ;  till 
that  hour  she  is  employed  in  the  pastry-room,  her  snow- 
white  apron  protecting  her  mouse-coloured  silk.  Twenty 
minutes  before  her  carriage  should  appear  she  retires  to 
her  chamber,  as  she  calls  it,  shakes,  and  folds  up  her 
still  snow-white  apron,  smooths  her  rich  dress,  and  with 
nice  care  sets  on  her  elegant  bonnet,  and  all  the  hand- 
some et  catera;  then  walks  downstairs,  just  at  the 
moment  that  her  free  black  coachman  announces  to  her 
free  black  footman  that  the  carriage  waits.  She  steps  into 
it,  and  gives  the  word,  "  Drive  to  the  Dorcas  Society.^ 
Her  footman  stays  at  home  to  clean  the  knives,  but  her 


MRS.    TROLLOPE.  389 

•coachman  can  trust  his  horses  while  he  opens  the  car- 
iriage  door,  and  his  lady  not  being  accustomed  to  a 
hand  or  an  arm,  gets  out  very  safely  without,  though  one 
-of  her  own  is  occupied  by  a  work  basket,  and  the  other 
by  a  large  roll  of  all  those  indescribable  matters  which 
ladies  take  as  offerings  to  Dorcas  societies.  She  enters 
the  parlour  appropriated  for  the  meeting,  and  finds  seven 
•other  ladies,  very  like  herself,  and  takes  her  place 
among  them ;  she  presents  her  contribution,  which  is 
-accepted  with  a  gentle  circular  smile,  and  her  parings  of 
broad-cloth,  her  ends  of  ribbon,  her  gilt  paper,  and  her 
minikin  pins,  are  added  to  the  parings  of  broad-cloth, 
the  ends  of  ribbon,  the  gilt  paper,  and  the  minikin  pins 
with  which  the  table  is  already  covered ;  she  also  pro- 
duces from  her  basket  three  ready-made  pin-cushions, 
four  ink- wipers,  seven  paper  matches,  and  a  paste-board 
watch-case ;  these  are  welcomed  with  acclamations,  and 
the  youngest  lady  present  deposits  them  carefully  on 
shelves,  amid  a  prodigious  quantity  of  similar  articles. 
She  then  produces  her  thimble,  and  asks  for  work  ;  it  is 
presented  to  her,  and  the  eight  ladies  all  stitch  together 
for  some  hours.  Their  talk  is  of  priests  and  of  missions; 
of  the  profits  of  their  last  sale,  of  their  hopes  from  the 
next ;  of  the  doubt  whether  young  Mr.  This  or  young 
Mr.  That  should  receive  the  fruits  of  it  to  fit  him  out 
for  Siberia ;  of  the  very  ugly  bonnet  seen  at  church  on 
-Sabbath  morning ;  of  the  very  handsome  preacher  who 
performed  on  Sabbath  afternoon  ;  and  of  the  very  large 
•collection  made   on  Sabbath  evening.      This  lasts  till 


390  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VEILLER, 

three,  when  the  carriage  again  appears,  and  the  lady  andi 
her  basket  return  home ;  she  mounts  to  her  chamber, 
carefully  sets  aside  her  bonnet  and  its  appurtenances, 
puts  on  her  scalloped  black  silk  apron,  walks  into  the^ 
kitchen  to  see  that  all  is  right,  then  into  the  parlour,, 
where,  having  cast  a  careful  glance  over  the  table  prepared 
for  dinner,  she  sits  down,  work  in  hand,  to  await  her 
spouse.  He  comes,  shakes  hands  with  her,  spits,  and' 
dines.  The  conversation  is  not  much,  and  ten  minutes 
suffices  for  the  dinner :  fruit  and  toddy,  the  newspaper,, 
and  the  work-bag  succeed.  In  the  evening  the  gentle- 
man, being  a  savant,  goes  to  the  Wister  Society,  and' 
afterw.irds  plays  a  snug  rubber  at  a  neighbour's.  The  lady 
receives  at  ten  a  young  missionary  and  three  members  of. 
the  Dorcas  Society.     And  so  ends  her  day." 

A  harmless  day,  after  all !  No  doubt  such  days  were 
spent  by  Philadelphian  ladies  exactly  as  Mrs.  Trollope 
describes  them;  no  doubt  such  days  are  possible  in. 
American  society  now,  and,  for  that  matter,  in  English 
society  also.  But  it  is  not  less  certain  that  then  and> 
now  many  women  in  Philadelphia  spent  and  spend  their 
time  with  a  wiser  activity,  and  more  to  the  advantage  oft 
themselves  and  their  fellow  creatures.  The  fault  of  the 
satirist  is,  that  he  reasons  from  particulars  to  generals, 
whereas  the  sagacious  observer  will  reason  from  generals, 
to  particulars.  The  manners  and  customs,  the  idiosyn- 
crasies of  a  class  will  probably  be  the  manners  and, 
customs  and  idiosyncrasies  of  most  of  its  members  ;  but. 
it  by  no  means  follows  that  from  two  or  three  individuals- 


MRS,    TROLLOPE.  391 

we  can  safely  predict  the  general  characteristics  of  the 
class  to  which  they  belong.  In  a  regiment  famous  for 
its  bravery  we  may  unquestionably  conclude  that  the 
majority  of  the  rank  and  file  will  be  brave  men ;  but  a 
few  may  be  composed  of  less  heroic  stuff.  Would  it  be 
just  to  take  these  as  the  types  of  the  regiment? 

After  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  make  a  home  in 
America,  Mrs.  Trollope  returned  to  England,  with  the 
world  to  begin  again,  a  husband  incapacitated  for  work- 
by  ill-health,  and  children  who  needed  aid,  and  were 
too  young  to  give  any.  In  such  circumstances  many 
would  have  appealed  to  the  sympathy  of  the  public,  but 
Mrs.  Trollope  was  a  courageous  woman,  and  preferred 
to  rely  upon  her  own  resources.  She  followed  her  first 
book,  the  success  of  which  was  immediate  and  very 
great,  by  a  novel  entitled  "  The  Refugee  in  America,"  in- 
which  the  plot  is  ill-constructed,  and  the  characters  are 
crudely  drawn,  but  the  writer's  caustic  humour  lends 
animation  to  the  page.  "The  Abbess,"  a  novel,  was 
her  third  effort;  and  then,  in  the  following  year,  came 
another  record  of  travel,  "  Belgium  and  Western  Ger- 
many in  1833."  Her  Conservative  instincts  found  less 
to  offend  them  in  Continental  than  in  American  society, 
and  her  sketches,  therefore,  while  not  less  vivid,  are 
much  better  humoured  than  in  her  American  book. 
Some  offences  against  the  "  minor  morals  "  incur  her  con* 
demnation ;  but  the  evil  which  most  provokes  her  is  the 
incessant  tobacco   smoking   of    the    Germans,    against 


392  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

which  she  protests  as  vehemently  as  did  James  I.  in  his 
•celebrated  "  Counterblast." 

Three  years  later  she  produced  her  "Paris  and  the 
Parisians,"  of  which  M.  Cortambret  speaks  as  "  crowning 
her  reputation,"  and  as  receiving  almost  as  warm  a 
welcome  in  France  as  in  England.  The  character,  cus- 
toms, and  literature  of  the  French  furnish  the  theme  of  a 
series  of  letters,  in  which  the  clever  and  vivacious  writer 
never  fails  to  charm  even  those  whom  she  does  not 
convince.  It  is  curious  to  read  this  book,  published  in 
1836,  and  to  compare  the  state  of  society  in  those  days 
with  that  which  now  exists.  What  changes,  in  half  a 
century,  have  been  wrought  in  the  national  character  ! 
There  seems  in  the  present  a  certain  dulness,  greyness, 
and  indifference, — or  is  it  rather  an  acquired  reticence 
and  self-control  ? — which  contrast  very  strikingly  with  the 
feverish,  agitated,  tumultuous  past,  so  partial  to  fantastic 
crotchets,  but  so  sympathetic  also  with  great  doctrines 
and  generous  ideas. 

Mrs.  Trollope  records  as  an  historical  and  noteworthy 
phrase,  much  in  vogue  in  1835,  "Young  France,"  and 
"describes  it  as  one  of  those  cabalistic  formulae  which 
assume  to  give  expression  to  a  grand,  terrible,  sublime, 
and  volcanic  idea.  What  shall  we  say  now-a-days  of 
these  two  brief  monosyllabic  words,  in  which  the  strong 
generation  of  the  Revolution  and  the  First  Empire 
reposed  so  haughty  a  confidence  ?  What  shall  we  say  of 
them  to  a  disillusionized  youth,  who  no  longer  believe  in 
anything,  and  know  neither  faith  nor  culture,  except  in 


MRS.   TROLLOPE.  393 

one  thing,  money — for  whom  Sport  and  the  Bourse  have 
replaced  the  literature  which  strengthened  and  developed 
the  faculties,  and  the  politics  which  made  men  citizens  ? 

Mrs.  Trollope  preserves  two  other  words,  which  first 
rose  into  popularity  in  1835 — the  words  rococo  and 
decousu.  All  things  which  bore  the  stamp  of  the  prin- 
ciples and  sentiments  of  former  generations  were  branded 
as  rococo.  Whatever  partook  of  the  extravagance  of  the 
Romantic  school  was  termed  decousu.  Eventually  this 
latter  word  was  abandoned  as  wanting  in  vigour,  and  at 
first  that  of  debraille  was  substituted  ;  afterwards  that  of 
Bohemian^  which,  despite  the  injurious  insinuation  it 
conveyed,  has  been  accepted  and  adopted  by  a  consider- 
able school.  Mrs.  Trollope  avers  that,  when  she  visited 
France,  it  was  impossible  for  two  persons  to  carry  on  a 
conversation  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  without  introducing 
the  words  rococo  and  decousu  a  score  of  times  They 
turned  up  as  frequently  as  "  the  head  of  Charles  I."  in 
Mr.  Dick's  discourse.  And,  she  adds,  with  her  usual 
causticity,  that  if  one  were  to  classify  the  population  into 
two  great  divisions,  it  would  be  impossible  to  define 
them  more  expressively  than  by  these  two  words. 

That  Mrs.  Trollope  had  no  sympathy  with  the  Ro- 
mantic school  will  not  excite  surprise.  Lamennais  and 
Victor  Hugo  she  stigmatizes  as  decousus  of  the  worst 
kind,  and  places  them  in  the  same  rank  as  Robespierre. 
The  genius  of  Victor  Hugo,  so  vast,  so  elevated,  and 
so  profound,  she  could  not  understand ;  she  could  see 


394  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

only  its  irregularities,  like  a  certain  "  aesthete  "  who,  when 
-contemplating  the  water-floods  of  Niagara,  directed  his 
.  attention  to  a  supposed  defect  in  their  curve !  Her 
methodical,  matter-of-fact  mind  was  wholly  unable  to 
measure  the  proportions  of  the  gigantic  genius  of  the 
•  author  of  "Notre  Dame,"  and  hence  she  discharges  at 
thim  a  volley  of  denunciatory  epithets,  borrowed  always 
from  the  severest  classic  style — "the  champion  of  vice," 
"  the  chronicler  of  sin,"  "  the  historian  of  shame  and 
^misery."  She  could  not  believe  that  in  all  his  writings 
:it  was  possible  to  discover  a  single  honourable,  innocent, 
.and  wholesome  thought.  Sin  was  the  Muse  which  he 
linvoked;  horror  attended  his  footsteps;  thousands  of 
monsters  served  as  his  escort,  and  furnished  him  with 
'the  originals  of  the  "disgusting"  portraits  which  he 
passed  his  life  in  painting.  This  was  plain  speaking; 
ibut  Mrs.  Trollope  attacking  Victor  Hugo  is  one  of  those 
rebellions  on  the  part  of  the  infinitely  little  against  the 
•infinitely  great  which  move  the  laughter  of  gods  and 
.men. 

In  truth,  she  is  seldom  happy  in  her  literary  criticisms. 
She  speaks  of  B^ranger  as  "  a  meteor,"  yet  of  no  French 
poet  has  the  renown  more  steadily  increased.  She  is 
constrained  to  admit  that  the  great  people's  poet,  whose 
.fame  will  endure  when  that  of  most  of  his  contem- 
poraries has  passed  into  dull  oblivion,  is  a  man  of  a  fine 
genius,  but  she  will  not  yield  to  him  that  foremost  place 
which  posterity,  nevertheless,  has  adjudged  to  belong 
.to  him.     Of  Thiers  and  Mignet  she  admits  the  merits 


MRS.   TROLLOPE.  vjq 

?as  historians,  but  characterizes  their  philosophy  as 
narrow  and  shabby. 

But  from  literature  let  us  turn  to  society,  in  which  she 
is  easier  to  please.  Whether  it  belongs  to  the  character 
of  the  people,  or  whether  it  is  but  a  transitory  feature 
in  the  physiognomy  of  the  age,  she  declares  herself 
unable  to  determine ;  but  nothing  strikes  her  so  forcibly 
as  the  air  of  gaiety  and  indifference  with  which  the 
French  discuss  those  great  subjects  that  involve  the 
world's  destinies.  We  are  inclined  to  think,  however, 
that  of  late  years  a  more  serious  spirit  has  prevailed. 
•On  the  other  hand,  we  cannot  recognize  as  in  existence 
now  that  exquisite  courtesy  of  the  French  husband 
towards  his  wife  which  moved  Mrs.  Trollope's  admira- 
tion. Unless  recent  observers  err  greatly,  and  imless 
the  stage  has  ceased  to  reflect  the  tone  and  manners 
-of  society,  a  great  change  for  the  worst  has  taken 
place  in  this  respect,  due,  perhaps,  to  the  combined 
influence  of  speculation  on  the  Bourse,  smoking,  and 
the  coarser  code  of  morals  introduced  from  the  North. 
That  elaborate  and  delicate  gallantry  was  a  kind  of 
blague  for  the  whole  nation ;  it  made  every  Frenchman 
a  knight  of  chivalry.  No  doubt  it  served  as  a  cloak 
iox  many  vices,  but  we  have  the  vices  still,  without  the 
cloak  !  "I  should  be  surprised,"  says  Mrs.  TroUope, 
**  if  I  heard  it  said  that  a  Frenchman  of  good  education 
^ad  ever  spoken  rudely  to  his  wife  !  " 

To  one  of  the  worst  enemies  of  the  old-fashioned 
•courtesy   she  makes  a  passing   allusion,  while  hoping 


306  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

cordially  that  the  ladies  will  easily  conquer  it — wc 
niean  Positivism.  If  the  women  of  France,  she  says, 
remain  true  to  their  vocation,  they  will  eventually 
combat  with  success  the  ever-increasing  partiality  of 
their  compatriots  for  the  positive^  and  will  prevent 
each  salvn  from  becoming,  like  the  boulevard  of  the 
Cafd  Tortoni,  a  petite  Bourse.  Under  the  second 
Empire,  however,  women  were  scarcely  less  guilty  than 
the  men,  and  the  mania  of  speculation  raged  in  almost 
every  boudoir.  It  is  too  early  to  decide  dogmatically 
whether  in  this  all-important  branch  of  morals  the^ 
Republic  has  effected  an  improvement ;  but  assuredly 
the  improvement,  if  it  has  begun,  has  not  extended 
very  far  or  very  deep. 

In  1835  the  Parisians  sometimes  fell  to  blows  in 
support  of  a  philosophical  principle,  and  would  incur 
almost  any  hazard  to  hear  a  favourite  orator  or  ta 
"assist"  at  the  representation  of  a  drama  by  one  of 
their  own  pet  authors.  Half  a  century  later  and  they 
hurry  to  horse  races,  and  fight  one  another  for  a  caprice. 
In  1835  they  committed  suicide  through  love  or  senti- 
ment ;  now  they  blow  out  their  brains  when  their  specula- 
tions have  suddenly  collapsed,  some  bubble  burst. 

Of  the  numerous  suicides  which  half  a  century  ago 
were  recorded  in  the  newspapers,  Mrs.  Trollope  furnishes, 
an  example.  Two  young  people,  scarcely  out  of  their 
childhood,  went  into  a  restaurant  and  ordered  a  dinner 
of  extraordinary  delicacy  and  not  less  extraordinary  cost^ 
returning  at  the  appointed  time  to  partake  of  it.     They 


MRS.    TROLLOPE.  yff 

finished  it  with  a  good  appetite,  and  with  the  enjoyment 
natural  to  their  age.  They  called  for  champagne,  and 
emptied  the  bottle,  holding  each  other's  hand.  Not 
the  slightest  shadow  of  sadness  obscured  their  gaiety, 
which  was  prolonged,  almost  noisy,  and  apparently 
genuine.  After  dinner  came .  coffee,  a  mouthful  of 
brandy,  and  the  bill.  One  of  them  with  his  finger 
pointed  out  the  total  to  the  other,  and  both  at  the  same 
time  broke  out  into  a  fit  of  laughter.  After  they  had 
drank  the  cofifee  they  told  the  waiter  that  they  wished  to 
speak  to  the  proprietor,  who  came  immediately,  sup- 
posing that  they  wished  to  complain  of  some  article  as 
overcharged 

But  instead,  the  elder  of  the  two  began  by  declaring 
that  the  dinner  was  excellent,  and  went  on  to  say  that 
this  was  the  more  fortunate  because  it  would  assuredly 
be  the  last  they  should  eat  in  this  world ;  that  as  for  the 
bill,  he  must  be  good  enough  to  excuse  payment,  inas- 
much as  neither  of  them  possessed  a  farthing.  He 
explained  that  they  would  never  have  played  him  sq 
sorry  a  joke  had  it  not  been  that,  finding  themselves 
overwhelmed  by  the  troubles  and  anxieties  of  the  world, 
they  had  resolved  to  enjoy  a  good  meal  once  more,  and 
then  to  take  leave  of  existence.  The  first  portion  of 
their  project  they  had  satisfactorily  carried  out,  thanks 
to  the  excellence  of  Monsieur's  cuisine  and  cellar,  ana 
the  second  would  not  be  long  delayed,  since  the  coffee 
and  the  brandy  had  been  mixed  with  a  drug  which 
would  help  them  to  pay  all  their  debts. 

26 


398  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

The  landlord  was  furious.  He  did  not  believe  a  word 
of  the  young  man's  oration,  and  declared  he  would 
hand  them  over  to  the  commissary  of  police.  Eventually 
he  allowed  them  to  leave  on  their  furnishing  him  with 
their  address. 

The  following  day,  impelled  half  by  a  wish  to  get  his 
money,  and  half  by  a  fear  that  they  might  have  spoken 
in  earnest,  he  repaired  to  the  address  they  had  given 
him,  and  learned  that  -the  two  unfortunate  young  men 
had  been  found  that  morning  lying  on  a  bed  which  one 
of  them  had  hired  some  weeks  before.  They  were 
dead,  and  their  bodies  already  cold. 

On  a  small  table  in  the  room  lay  several  papers 
covered  with  writing ;  all  of  them  breathed  the  desire  to 
attain  renown  without  difficulty  and  without  work,  and 
expressed  the  utmost  contempt  for  those  who  con- 
sented to  gain  their  livelihood  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brow.  There  were  several  quotations  from  Victor  Hugo, 
and  a  request  that  their  names  and  the  manner  of  their 
death  might  be  published  in  the  newspapers. 

It  is  a  pity  that  their  yearning  for  posthumous  notoriety 
was  gratified,  inasmuch  as  the  sentimental  articles  written 
to  order  by  dexterous  pens,  and  the  verses  composed 
in  honour  of  the  two  lunatics  by  Bdranger,  in  which  a 
romantic  halo  is  thrown  over  their  audacious  crime, 

**  Et  vers  le  del  se  frayant  un  chemin, 
lis  sort  partis  en  se  donnant  la  main"  ... 

encouraged,  it  is  to  be  feared,  a  suicidal  mania. 


AfRS.    TROLLOPE.  3QQ 

NVe  have  hinted  that  Mrs.  Trollope's  strength  lay  m 
her  faculty  of  observation,  and  her  strong,  pungent 
humour.  Occasionally,  however,  she  ventures  on  a  vein 
of  reflection,  and  not  without  success.  For  instance, 
her  observations  upon  the  elevation  of  Louis  Philippe  to 
the  French  throne  are  marked  by  a  clear,  cool  judgment 

When  she  diverts  her  thoughts,  she  says,  from  the 
dethroned  and  banished  king  to  him  whom  she  saw 
before  her,  walking  without  guards  and  with  an  assured 
step,  she  could  not  but  recall  the  vicissitudes  he  had 
experienced,  and  the  conclusion  forced  itself  upon  her 
that  this  earth  and  all  its  inhabitants  were  but  the  toys 
of  children,  which  change  their  name  and  destination 
according  to  the  moment's  whim.  It  seemed  to  her  that 
all  men  must  be  classed  in  the  order  which  it  was  good 
for  them  to  hold ;  and  that  everything  would  be  thrown 
into  the  greatest  confusion  if  they  were  cast  down  in 
order  to  be  raised  up  again,  and  thus  they  were  per- 
petually hurled  from  side  to  side;  with  all  this,  so 
powerless  in  themselves,  and  so  completely  governed 
hy  chance  1  She  felt  humbled  by  the  sight  of  human 
weakness,  and  turned  her  eyes  from  the  monarch  to 
meditate  on  the  insignificance  of  men. 

How  vain  are  all  the  efforts  which  man  is  able  to 
make  to  direct  the  course  of  his  own  existence  !  There 
is  nothing,  in  truth,  but  confidence  in  an  exalted  Wisdom 
and  an  immovable  Power  which  can  enable  us,  from  the 
greatest  to  the  smallest,  to  traverse  with  courage  and 
tranquillity  a  world  subject  to  such  terrible  convul^^ions. 


400  WOMAN  AS  A    TEA  VELLER. 

In  the  opinion  of  one  French  critic,  the  book  upon 
"  Paris  and  the  Parisians  "  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
works  which  has  dealt  with  the  subject  of  French  society. 
It  reflects  with  wonderful  accuracy  the  physiognomy  of 
the  reign  of  Louis  Philippe ;  those  outbreaks  which  so 
frequently  troubled  the  city  ;  those  political  discussions 
which  every  evening  transformed  the  salons  into  so 
many  clubs  ;  the  romantic  aspirations  of  Young  France  ; 
the  turbulence  of  the  people,  and  the  general  want  of 
respect  for  the  monarchy. 

Everywhere,  moreover,  as  one  of  her  translators  has 
said,  this  literary  Amazon  marches,  armed  with  a  bold 
and  vivid  criticism,  which  gathered  around  her  eager 
readers  and  bitter  foes.  Do  not  expect  that  she  will 
relate  to  you  (as  Lady  Morgan  does)  the  tittle-tattle  of 
the  boudoirs  of  the  countries  she  visits  or  in  which  she 
resides;  for  from  the  particularity  and  range  of  her 
observations  it  is  clear  that  she  made  no  flying  visits 
that  her  masculine  mind  penetrated  below  the  surface. 
When  she  arrived  in  a  new  land  she  planted  there  her 
flag,  and  with  pen  upraised  set  forth  to  attack  or  ener- 
getically praise,  according  to  her  sympathies  or  her 
hatreds,  the  social  and  political  manners  exposed  to  her 
searching  gaze. 

France  was  not  the  only  field  of  study  which  she  found 
in  Europe.  In  1838  she  published  her  "Vienna  and 
the  Austrians,"  in  which  her  old  antipathies  and  causti- 
cities reappeared ;  and  in  1 843,  a  "  Visit  to  Italy,"  which 


MRS.   TROLLOP t.  4or 

^%&  far  from  being  a  success.  The  classic  air  of  Italy 
was  not  favourable  to  the  development  of  her  peculiar 
powers,  and  among  the  antiquities  of  Rome  the  humour 
which  sketched  so  forcibly  the  broad  features  of  American 
society  was  necessarily  out  of  place. 

Our  business  in  these  pages  is  with  Mrs.  Troilope 
the  traveller,  but  of  the  industry  of  Mrs.  Troilope  the 
novelist  we  may  reasonably  give  the  reader  an  idea. 
In  1836  she  published  "The  Adventures  of  Jonathan 
Jefferson  Whitlaw,"  in  which  she  renewed  her  attacks 
on  American  society,  and  drew  a  forcible  sketch  of  the 
condition  of  the  coloured  population  of  the  Southern 
States.  Some  of  the  scenes  may  fairly  be  credited  with 
having  suggested  to  Dickens  the  tone  and  sentiment  of 
his  American  pictures  in  "  Martin  Chuzzlewit."  Her 
best  novel,  "  The  Vicar  of  Wrexhill " — a  highly-coloured 
portrait  of  an  Anglican  Tartuffe,  bitter  in  its  prejudices, 
but  full  of  talent— appeared  in  1837  :  the  "  Romance  of 
Vienna,"  an  attack  on  caste  distinctions,  in  1838.  To 
the  same  year  belongs  her  "  Michael  Armstrong,"  in 
which  her  Ishmael  hand  fell  heavily  on  the  narrow- 
mindedness  of  the  manufacturing  class — anticipating,  in 
some  degree,  Dickens's  "  Hard  Times."  "  One  Fault," 
a  satire  upon  romantic  exaggeration ;  and  the  coarse, 
but  clever  "  Widow  Bamaby,"  a  racy  history  of  the 
troubles  of  a  vulgar-genteel  bourgeoise  in  search  of  a 
second  husband,  were  published  in  1839  ;  and  in  the 
following  year  appeared  its  sequel,  *'  The  Widow  Mar- 
ried," which  is  quite  as  coarse  as  its  predecessor,  but  not 


402  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

so  arousing.  With  indefatigable  pen  she  produced,  in 
1843,  three  three-volume  novels,  "  Hargreave,"  **  Jessie 
Phillips,"  and  "  The  Laurringtons  " — the  first  a  not  very 
successful  sketch  of  a  man  of  fashion ;  the  second,  an 
unfair  and  exaggerated  delineation  of  the  action  of  the 
new  Poor  Law;  and  the  third,  a  forcible  and  lively 
satire  upon  "superior  people,"  in  which  some  of  the 
passages  are  in  her  best  style. 

In  1844  the  industrious  satirist,  who  would  have  been 
more  generally  successful  had  she  selected  the  objects  oi 
her  attacks  with  greater  discretion,  withdrew  to  Florence, 
from  the  host  of  enemies  her  "  free  hitting"  had  provoked^ 
burying  herself  in  an  almost  absolute  seclusion.  But 
her  active  mind  could  not  long  enjoy  repose,  and  in 
185 1  she  resumed  her  pen,  selecting  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  for  her  target  in  "  Father  Eustace."  This  was 
followed  in  1852  by  "  Uncle  Walter."  It  is  unnecessary, 
however,  to  enumerate  the  titles  of  her  later  works,  as 
they  lacked  most  of  the  qualities  which  secured  the 
popularity  of  her  earlier,  and  have  already  passed  inta 
oblivion.  It  is  doubtful,  indeed,  whether  even  her 
better  work  is  much  known  to  the  reading  public  oi 
the  present  day.* 


*  We  have  omitted  from  our  list  "The  Blue  Belles  of  England  '^ 
(1841);  "Tremordyn  Cliff"  (1838);  "Charles  Chesterfield '* 
(1841);  "The  Ward  of  Thorpe-Combe "  (1842);  "Young  Love" 
(1844);  "Petticoat  Government"  (1852);  and  "The  Life  and 
Adventures  of  a  Clever  Woman  "  (1853).  Between  the  last-named 
and  "The  Vicar  of  Wrexhill"  the  gulf  is  very  wide.     One  canno4 


MRS.    TROLLOPE.  .fO) 

This  clever  and  industrious  woman  died  at  Flo«ence 
on  the  6th  of  October,  1863,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year 
of  her  age.  Her  name  has  been  highly  honoured  in  her 
two  surviving  sons,  Anthony  and  Thomas  Adolphus 
TroUope,  both  of  whom  have  attained  to  a  place  of 
distinction  in  English  literature. 

help  admiring,  however,   the   indefatigable  perseverance  and   the 
astonishing  fertillcy  of  this  accomplished  novelist. 


HARRIET   MARTINEAU. 


ONE  of  the  best  books  on  Eastern  life  in  English 
literature  we  owe  to  the  pen  of  a  remarkable 
woman,  whose  reputation,  based  as  it  is  on  many  other 
w^orks  of  singular  ability,  we  may  take  to  be  of  a 
permanent  character — Miss  Harriet  Martineau.  She 
was  born  in  1802.  Her  father  was  a  manufacturer  in 
Norwich,  where  his  family,  originally  of  French  origin, 
had  resided  since  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes.  To  her  imcle,  a  surgeon  in  Norwich,  she  was. 
mainly  indebted  for  her  education.  Her  home-life  was 
not  a  happy  one,  and  unquestionably  its  austere  in- 
fluences did  much  to  develop  in  her  that  colossai 
egotism  and  self-sufficiency  which  marred  her  character, 
and  has  left  its  injurious  impress  on  her  writings.  She 
tells  us  that  only  twice  in  her  childhood  did  she  ex- 
perience any  manifestation  of  tenderness — once  when 
she  was  suffering  from  ear-ache,  and  her  parents  were 
stirred  into  unwonted  compassion,  and  once  from  a 
kind-hearted  lady  who  witnessed  her  alarm  at  a  magic- 
lantern  exhibition. 

404 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU.  405 

Much  more  care  was  shown  in  educing  her  intellectual 
♦faculties  than  in  cultivating  her  affections.     She  learned 
French  and  music  thoroughly,  and  attained  to  such  pro- 
^ciency  in  the  classics  that  she   could  not  only  write 
Latin   but   think   in   I^tin.     She   took  a  great  delight 
in  reading,   and,   of  course,  read  omnivorously,  with  a 
■special  preference  for  history,  poetry,  and  politics.     Her 
inquisitive  and  abnormally  active  mind  early  began  its 
inquiries   into   the  mysteries  of  religious   faith,  but  as 
these  were  not  conducted  in  a  patient  or  reverent  spirit, 
lit  is  no  wonder,  perhaps,  that  they  proved  unsatisfactory. 
She  got  hold  of  the  works  of  Dugald  Stewart,  Hartley, 
and  Priestley ;   plunged  boldly  into  the  maze  of  meta- 
physics, and  grappled  unhesitatingly  with  the  mysterious 
subjects  of  fore-knowledge  and  free-will.     But  in  philo- 
sophy  as   in   religion,  her    immense    egotism   led   her 
astray.     She  accepted  nothing  for  the  existence  of  which 
she  could  not  account  by  causes  intelligible  to  her  own 
mind.    Naturally  she  became  a  Necessarian,  and  adopted 
strenuously  the  dogma  of  the  invariable  and  inevitable 
action  of  fixed  laws.     We  may  be  allowed,  perhaps,  to 
think  of  this  singular  woman  as  yearning  and  aspiring 
after  a  lofty  ideal  throughout  a  sensitive  and  timorous 
•childhood ;    and    in   wayward    musings    and    visionary 
vreflections  finding  that  consolation  which  should  have 
•been,  but  was  not,  provided  by  maternal  love.     As  she 
^ew  older,  and  grew  stronger  both  in  mind  and  body, 
she  grew  bolder;   aspiration  gave  way  to   self-satisfied 
•conviction.     Morbid  self-reproach  was  replaced   by  an 


4o6  WOMAN  j4S  A    TRAVFT.T.ER, 

extravagant  self-consciousness,  and  thenceforth  she  wentt 
on  her  solitary  way,  acting  up  always  to  a  high  standard' 
of  moral  rectitude,  but  putting  aside  the  faiths  and  hopes- 
and  judgments  of  the  many  as  baubles  beneath  the 
notice  of  a  mature  and  well-balanced  intellect. 

Her  tastes  for  literary  pursuits  she  has  herself  ascribed 
to  the  extreme  delicacy  of  her  health  in  childhood ;  to- 
the  infirmity  of  deafness,  which,  while  not  so  complete 
as  to  debar  her  from  all  social  intercourse,  yet  compelled, 
her  to  seek  occupations  and  pleasures  not  dependent 
upon  others ;  and  to  the  affection  which  subsisted  between, 
her  and  the  brother  nearest  her  own  age,  the  Rev.  James 
Martineau,  so  well  known  for  his  fine  intellectual  powers. 
The  death  of  the  father  having  involved  the  family  in. 
the  discomfort  of  narrow  circumstances,  the  pen  she  had. 
hitherto  wielded  for  amusement  she  took  up  with  the 
view  of  gaining  an  independent  livelihood ;  and  she  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  employing  fiction  as  a  vehicle  for  the 
exposition  and  popularization  of  the  principles  of  social, 
and  pohtical  economy.     The  idea  was  as  new  as  it  was 
happy;    nor  could   it   have   been   realized   at   a   more 
opportune  time  than  when  the  English  public  was  begin- 
ning to  awake  from  its  long  political  lethargy,  and  to 
assert  the  rights  of  the  nation  against  the  dominant  class- 
interests.     It  was   desirable  that   its   new-born   activity 
should  be  guided  by  an  intelligent  apprehension  of  the- 
cardinal  truths  by  which  reform  is  dififerentiated  from 
revolution ;   and   to   contribute   to   this   result   became 
Harriet  Martineau's  purpose.     Accordingly,  in.  1826,  sh*:. 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU,  A/yr 

wrote,  and  after  conquering  the  difficulty  of  finding  2u 
publisher,  gave  to  the  world  her  tale  of  "  The  Rioters," 
the  first  of  a  long  series  of  illustrations  of  political 
economy,  which  had  a  very  considerable  influence, 
if  not  quite  so  great  an  influence,  as  she  herself  sup- 
posed. The  series  comprises  eighteen  tales,  of  which 
the  best,  perhaps,  are  "  Ella  of  Gareloch,"  "  Life  in  the 
Wilds,"  and  "The  Hamlets."  Their  true  merit  consists^ 
in  their  having  quickened  and  strengthened  the  interest 
of  the  reading  classes  in  economic  questions.  In  their 
day  they  did  an  useful  work,  but  they  are  already  for- 
gotten ;  and,  as  Sara  Coleridge  predicted,  their  political^ 
economy  has  proved  too  heavy  a  ballast  for  vessels  that 
were  expected  to  sail  down  the  stream  of  time. 

In  1834  Miss  Martineau  "qualified,"  so  to  speak,  for 
a  place  among  female  travellers,  by  visiting  the  United 
States.  She  spent  nearly  two  years  in  traversing  the 
territories  of  the  Great  Western  Republic,  and  was  every- 
where received  with  an  enthusiastic  welcome.  Retimiing 
to  England  in  1836,  she  recorded  her  impressions  of 
American  society,  and  her  views  of  American  institutions 
in  her  "Society  in  America"  and  her  "Retrospect  of 
AVestem  Travel"  These  are  discriminative  and  thought- 
ful, while  sufficiently  cordial  in  their  praise  to  satisfy 
even  the  most  exacting  American;  and  at  the  time  of 
their  appearance  these  books  unquestionably  did  much 
to  soothe  the  irritation  which  Mrs.  Trollope's  hard  hitting 
had  provoked.  It  is  but  just,  however,  to  commend  the 
honesty  with  which  she  avowed  her  anti-slavery  opinions,. 


4o8  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

which  could  not  then  be  enunciated  without  exciting 
the  anger  even  of  the  people  of  the  North.  It  brought 
upon  her  no  small  amount  of  abuse  and  contumely, 
many  of  those  who  had  previously  received  her  with  pro- 
fessed admiration  joining  in  the  clamour  raised  against 
her  by  the  slave-holders  and  their  partisans. 

Her  literary  activity,  meanwhile,  knew  no  stint.  In 
1839  she  published  "  Deerbrook,"  her  best  novel,  which 
the  critic  will  always  value  as  a  vigorous  picture  of  some 
-aspects  of  English  life.  The  tone  is  high  and  sustained. 
As  for  the  characters,  they  are  not  very  strongly  indi- 
vidualized; but,  on  the  other  hand,  the  descriptions 
are  clear  and  forcible,  while  the  interest  of  the  plot  is 
deep  and  wholesome.  John  Sterling's  criticism  of  it 
says : — "  It  is  really  very  striking,  and  parts  of  it  are 
very  true  and  very  beautiful.  It  is  not  so  true  or  so 
thoroughly  clear  and  harmonious  among  delineations  of 
English  middle-class  gentility  as  Miss  Austen's  books, 
•especially  as  '  Pride  and  Prejudice,'  which  I  think 
•exquisite." 

While  travelling  on  the  Continent,  in  the  spring  of 
1838,  Miss  Martineau  was  seized  with  a  very  serious 
illness.  By  slow  stages  she  returned  to  England,  where 
3he  settled  down  near  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  to  be  under 
the  care  of  her  brother-in-law.  She  resided  there  for  a 
period  of  nearly  six  years.  Neither  suffering  of  mind  or 
body,  however,  was  allowed  to  interfere  with  her  literary 
work.  She  gave  to  the  world  in  1840  her  second  novel, 
**' The   Hour  and  the  Man,"  founded  on  the  romanti<r^ 


HARRIET  MARTWEAU.  409 

career  of  Toussaint  L'Ouverture ;  and  composed  the 
admirable  series  of  children's  tales,  known  by  the  general 
title  of  "  The  Playfellow."  These  four  volumes,  "  Settlers 
at  Home,"  "  The  Picnic,"  "  Feats  on  the  Fiord,"  and 
"  The  Crofton  Boys,"  show  her  at  her  very  best.  They 
are  full  of  bold  and  picturesque  descriptions,  and  the 
story  is  told  with  unflagging  energy.  Her  peculiar 
position  suggested  a  book  that  has  won  a  well-deserved 
popularity — "Life  in  the  Sick-room"  (1844).  Its  de- 
licate and  judicious  reflections,  and  its  pleasing  sketches, 
cannot  be  read  without  a  touch  of  sympathy. 

Restored  to  health  in  1845,  she  removed  to  Ambleside ;. 
among  the  lakes  and  mountains,  settling  in  the  imme- 
diate neighbourhood  of  the  poet  Wordsworth.  In  the 
autumn  she  published  her  "  Forest  and  Game  Laws  " ; 
and  in  the  following  year  she  made  a  journey  to  the 
East,  and  ascended  the  river  Nile,  recording  her  ex- 
periences in  the  book  which  has  led  us  to  introduce  her 
among  our  female  travellers — "  Eastern  Life,  Past  and 
Present,"  a  remarkable  book,  giving  a  fresh  interest  to 
the  beaten  track  of  Eastern  travel  and  research,  and 
breathing  vitality  into  the  dry  bones  of  Champollini, 
Wilkinson,  and  Lane.  Putting  aside  its  crude  notions 
of  Egyptology,  and  its  wild  speculations  on  religious 
topics,  we  must  be  prepared  to  admire  its  fresh  and 
finely- coloured  word  pictures,  the  glow  and  power  of 
which  are  surprising.  Miss  Martineau  went  up  the  Nile 
to  Philae ;  she  afterwards  crossed  the  desert  to  the  Red 
Sea,  landed  in  Arabia,  and  ascended  Mounts  Sinai  and 


-J4IO  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

'Horeb  ;  and,  finally,  explored  a  portion  of  the  shores  and 
^islands  of  the  Mediterranean.  We  must  pause  in  our 
n-apid  narrative  to  give  a  specimen  or  two  of  the  sketches 
she  made  on  the  way  ;  they  will  show  how  a  strong  and 
^ivid  genius  can  deal  with  the  incidents  of  travel,  and 
^what  a  record  of  it  may  become  in  the  hands  of  a  skilful 
•  and  accomplished  artist. 

Let  us  take  her  description  of  the  Sphinx — the  Sphinx 
that  for  some  thousands  of  years  has  held  mute  com- 
.panionship  with  the  Great  Pyramids  : — 

"The  full  serene  gaze  of  its  round  face,  rendered 
nigly  by  the  loss  of  the  nose,  which  was  a  very  handsome 
^feature  of  the  old  Egyptian  face — this  full  gaze,  and  the 
-stony  calm  of  its  attitude  almost  turn  one  to  stone.  So 
life-like,  so  huge,  so  monstrous;  it  is  really  a  fearful 
spectacle.  I  saw  a  man  sitting  in  a  fold  of  the  neck — 
as  a  fly  might  settle  on  a  horse's  mane.  In  that  crease 
he  reposed,  while  far  over  his  head  extended  the  vast 
pent-house  of  the  jaw ;  and  above  that,  the  dressed  hair 
^on  either  side  the  face— each  bunch  a  mass  of  stone 
•'which  might  crush  a  dwelling-house.  In  its  present 
state  its  proportions  cannot  be  obtained;  but  Sir  G. 
Wilkinson  tells  us,  *  Pliny  says  it  measured  from  the 
belly  to  the  highest  part  of  the  head  sixty-three  feet ;  its 
length  was  one  hundred  and  forty-three  ;  and  the  circum- 
ference of  its  head  round  the  forehead  one  hundred  and 
two  feet ;  all  cut  out  in  the  natural  rock,  and  worked 
smooth.'  Fancy  the  long  well-opened  eyes,  in  such 
-proportion  as  this — eyes  which  have  gazed  unwinking  into 


X 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU,  ^li 

•vacancy,  while  mighty  Pharaohs,  and  Hebrew  law-givers, 
and  Persian  princes,  and  Greek  philosophers,  and  Antony 
with  Cleopatra  by  his  side,  and  Christian  anchorites,  and 
Arab  warriors,  and  European  men  of  science,  have  been 
'brought  hither  in  succession  by  the  unpausing  ages  to 
look  up  into  those  eyes — so  full  of  meaning,  though  so 
fixed  I"* 

At  Damascus  she  visited  a  Turkish  harem,  and  her 
account  of  the  visit  the  reader  will  find  some  interest 
in  comparing  with  Madame  Hommaire  de  Hell's  nar- 
rative of  a  similar  experience. 

She  and  her  companions  saw  the  seven  wives  of  three 
gentlemen,  besides  a  crowd  of  attendants  and  visitors. 
Of  the  seven,  two  had  been  the  wives  of  the  head  of  the 
household,  who  was  dead ;  three  were  the  wives  of  his 
eldest  son,  aged  twenty-two ;  and  the  remaining  two 
were  the  wives  of  his  second  son,  aged  fifteen.  The 
youngest  son,  aged  thirteen,  was  not  yet  married ;  but 
he  would  be  thinking  about  it  soon.  The  pair  of  widows 
were  elderly  women,  as  merry  as  girls,  and  quite  at  their 
«ase.  Of  the  other  five  three  were  sisters — that  is,  we 
-conclude,  half-sisters;  children  of  different  mothers  in 
the  same  harem.  It  is  evident,  at  a  glance,  what  a 
tragedy  lies  under  this ;  what  the  horrors  of  jealousy 
must  be  among  sisters  thus  connected  for  life ;  three  of 
isthem  between  two  husbands  in  the  same  house  !     And 


Harriet  Martineau :  "  Eastern  Life,"  ii.,  8i,  82. 


412  IVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

we  were  told  that  the  jealousy  had  begun,  young  as  they- 
were,  and  the  third  having  been  married  only  a  week. 
'Ihis  young  creature,  aged  twelve,  was  the  bride  of  the 
husband  of  fifteen.  She  was  the  most  conspicuous 
person  in  the  place,  not  only  for  the  splendour  of  her 
dress,  but  because  she  sat  on  the  diwan,  while  the 
others  sat  or  lounged  on  cushions  on  the  raised  floor. 
The  moment  Miss  Martineau  took  her  seat  she  was 
struck  with  compassion  for  this  child,  who  looked  so 
grave,  sad,  and  timid,  while  the  others  romped  and 
giggled,  and  indulged  in  laughter  at  their  own  silly  jokes  ; 
bhe  smiled  not,  but  looked  on  listlessly.  Miss  Martineau 
was  resolved  to  make  her  laugh  before  she  went  away, 
and  at  length  she  did  somewhat  relax — smiling,  and  in  a. 
moment  growing  grave  ;  but  after  a  while  she  really  and 
truly  laughed,  and  when  the  whole  harem  was  shown 
to  the  visitors,  she  slipped  her  bare  and  dyed  feet  inta- 
her  pattens,  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl,  and  joined  them 
m  the  courts,  nestling  to  them,  and  apparently  losing, 
the  sense  of  her  new  position  for  a  time;  but  there 
was  less  of  the  gaiety  of  a  child  about  her  than  in  the- 
elderly  widows.  Her  dress  was  superb — a  full  skirt  and 
bodice  of  geranium-coloured  brocade,  embossed  with, 
gold  flowers  and  leaves ;  and  her  frill  and  ruffles  were  of 
geranium-coloured  gauze.  Her  eyebrows  were  frightful — 
joined  together  and  extended  by  black  paint.  A  silk 
net,  bedizened  with  jewels  and  natural  flowers,  covered 
her  head,  which  thus  resembled  a  bouquet  sprinkled. 
with  diamonds.     Her  nails  were  dyed  black,  and  her 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU.  413 

feet  dyed  black  in  chequers.  Her  complexion,  called 
white,  was  of  an  unhealthy  yellow  ;  indeed,  not  a  healthy 
complexion  was  to  be  seen  among  the  whole  company. 
How  should  it  be  otherwise  among  women  secluded 
from  exercise,  and  pampered  with  all  the  luxuries  of 
Oriental  life. 

Besides  the  seven  wives,  a  number  of  attendants  came 
in  to  look  at  the  European  visitors,  and  serve  the  pipes 
and  sherbet;  also  a  few  ladies  from  a  neighbouring 
harem;  and  a  party  of  Jewesses,  with  whom  Miss 
Martineau  and  her  friends  had  some  previous  acquaint- 
ance. Mrs.  G.,  we  are  told,  was  compelled  to  withdraw 
her  lace  veil,  and  then  to  remove  her  bonnet ;  the  street, 
she  was  informed,  was  the  place  where  the  veil  should 
be  worn,  and  not  the  interior  of  the  house.  Then  her 
bonnet  went  round,  and  was  tried  on  many  heads ;  one 
merry  girl  wearing  it  long  enough  to  surprise  many  new 
comers  with  the  joke.  Miss  Martineau's  gloves  were 
stretched  and  pulled  in  a  variety  of  ways,  in  their 
attempts  to  thrust  their  large,  broad  brown  hands  into 
them,  one  after  another.  But  it  was  the  ear-trumpet, 
rendered  necessary  by  her  deafness,  which  afforded  the 
greatest  entertainment.  The  eldest  widow,  who  sat 
near  her,  asked  for  it  and  put  it  to  her  ear ;  whereupon 
Miss  Martineau  exclaimed,  "Bo  !"  When  she  had  done 
laughing,  the  lady  of  the  harem  placed  it  to  her  next 
neighbour's  ear,  and  shouted  "  Bo  1 "  and  in  this  way  it 
returned  to  its  possessor.  But  in  two  minutes  it  was 
asked  for  again,  and  went  round  a  second  time ;  every- 

27 


414  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

body  laughing  as  loud  as  ever  at  each  "  Bo !  '*  so  that 
the  joke  was  repeated  a  third  time. 

The  next  joke  was  connected  with  the  Jewesses,  four 
or  five  of  whom  sat  in  a  row  in  the  diwan.  Almost 
-everybody  else  was  puffing  away  at  a  tchibouque  or 
nargileh,  and  the  place  was  one  cloud  of  smoke.  The 
poor  Jewesses  were  obliged  to  decline  joining  us,  for  it 
happened  to  be  Saturday,  and  they  must  not  smoke  on 
their  Sabbath.  They  were  naturally  much  pitied,  and 
some  of  the  young  wives  did  what  was  possible  for  them. 
Drawing  in  a  long  breath  of  smoke,  they  puffed  it  forth 
in  the  faces  of  the  Jewesses,  who  opened  mouth  and 
nostrils  eagerly  to  receive  it  Thus  was  the  Sabbath 
observed,  to  shouts  of  laughter. 

"  A  pretty  little  blue-eyed  girl  of  seven  was  the  only 
child,"  says  Miss  Martineau,  "we  saw.  She  nestled  against 
her  mother,  and  the  mother  clasped  her  closely,  lest  we 
should  carry  her  off  to  London.  She  begged  we  would  not 
wish  to  take  her  child  to  London,  and  said,  '  she  would  not 
sell  her  for  much  money.'  One  of  the  wives  was  pointed 
out  to  us  as  particularly  happy  in  the  prospect  of  becoming 
a  mother ;  and  we  were  taken  to  see  the  room  which 
she  was  to  lie  in,  which  was  all  in  readiness,  though  the 
•event  was  not  looked  for  for  more  than  half  a  year.  She 
was  in  the  gayest  spirits,  and  sang  and  danced.  While  she 
was  lounging  on  her  cushions,  I  thought  her  the  hand- 
somest and  most  graceful,  as  well  as  the  happiest,  of  the 
party;  but  when  she  rose  to  dance,  the  charm  was 
<iestroyed  for  ever.     The  dancing  is  utterly  disgusting. 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU,  415 

A  pretty  Jewess  of  twelve  years  old  danced,  much  in 
the  same  way  ;  but  with  downcast  eyes  and  an  air  of 
modesty.  While  the  dancing  went  on,  and  the  smoking 
and  drinking  coffee  and  sherbet,  and  the  singing,  to  the 
accompaniment  of  a  tambourine,  some  hideous  old  hags 
came  in  successively,  looked  and  laughed,  and  went 
away  again.  Some  negresses  made  a  good  background 
to  this  thoroughly  Eastern  picture.  All  the  while, 
romping,  kissing,  and  screaming  went  on  among  the 
ladies,  old  and  young.  At  first,  I  thought  them  a  per- 
fect rabble ;  but  when  I  recovered  myself  a  little,  I  saw 
that  there  was  some  sense  in  the  faces  of  the  elderly 
women.  In  the  midst  of  all  this  fun,  the  interpreters 
assured  us  that  *  there  is  much  jealousy  every  day ;' 
jealousy  of  the  favoured  wife  ;  that  is,  in  this  case,  of  the 
one  who  was  pointed  out  to  us  by  her  companions  as  so 
eminently  happy,  and  with  whom  they  were  romping  and 
kissing,  as  with  the  rest.  Poor  thing !  even  the  happi- 
ness of  these  her  best  days  is  hollow,  for  she  cannot  have, 
at  the  same  time,  peace  in  the  harem  and  her  husband's 
love."* 

With  these  specimens  we  must  be  content,  though  we 
are  well  aware,  as  Hierocles  has  taught  us,  that  we 
cannot  judge  of  a  house  from  a  single  bricL  They 
fairly  illustrate,  however,  Miss  Martineau's  style  and 
manner  in  her  record  of  Eastern  travel — a  record  which 

•  Harriet  Martineau :   "  Eastern  Life,"  ii.  162     165, 


4i6  WOMAN  AS  A   TRAVELLER, 

the  narratives  of  later  travellers  may  have  rendered 
obsolete  in  some  particulars,  but  have  certainly  not 
superseded. 

Her  brief  career  as  a  traveller  terminated  with  her  visit 
to  the  East ;  but  a  reference  to  the  incidents  of  her  later 
life  may  possibly  be  convenient  for  the  reader.  In  1849- 
1850  she  pubUshed  her  "History  of  England  during  the 
Thirty  Years'  Peace,"  a  thoroughly  good  bit  of  historical 
work,  not  less  admirable  for  the  general  fairness  of  its 
tone  than  for  the  lucidity  of  its  narrative.  This  was 
followed  by  her  "  Introduction  to  the  History  of  the 
Peace,  from  1800  to  181 5."  A  careful  English  con- 
densation of  Comte's  "  Positive  Philosophy"  appeared 
in  1853.  Meanwhile  she  was  a  constant  contributor  to 
Mr.  Charles  Dickens's  "  Household  Words,"  and  to  the 
columns  of  the  "  Daily  News."  In  the  midst  of  all  this 
activity  she  was  suddenly  struck  down  by  disease  of  the 
heart,  and  her  doctors  announced  that  she  might  die  at 
any  moment.  She  resigned  herself  to  her  fate  with 
her  usual  calm  courage,  and  proceeded  to  draw  up  and 
print  her  autobiography.  Strange  to  say,  she  lived  for 
twenty  years  longer;  the  Damocles'  sword  suspended 
over  her  head  forbore  to  fall,  and  as  soon  as  her  health 
was  to  some  extent  re-established  she  resumed  her 
literary  labours.  Among  her  latest  works,  which  present 
abundant  evidence  of  the  clearness  and  practical 
character  of  her  intellect,  we  may  mention  a  treatise  on 
"The  Factory  Controversy,"  1853;  a  "  History  of  the 
American  Compromise,"   1856  ;  a  picturesquely  written 


HARRIET  MARTINEAU.  \\j 

historical  sketch  of  "British  Rule  in  India;'  also, 
"England  and  her  Soldiers;"  "Health,  Handicraft, 
and  Husbandry;"   and  "Household  Education." 

As  years  passed  by  her  infirmities  increased,  but  she 
retained  her  force  and  freshness  of  intellect  almost  to 
the  last.  It  was  not  until  the  beginning  of  1876  that 
her  mental  condition  underwent  any  serious  change. 
Even  then  her  strong  will  seemed  to  stay  and  strengthen 
her  failing  mind.  She  kept  her  household  books  and 
superintended  the  household  economy  to  the  very  end, 
though  suffering  under  a  burden  of  pain  which  weaker 
natures  would  have  found  intolerable.  Writing  to  a 
friend  six  weeks  before  her  death,  she  exclaims  : — "  I 
am  very  ill ....  the  difficulty  and  distress  to  me  are  the 
state  of  the  head.  I  will  only  add  that  the  condition 
grows  daily  worse,  so  that  I  am  scarcely  able  to  converse 
or  read,  and  the  cramp  in  the  hands  makes  writing 
difficult  or  impossible ;  so  I  must  try  to  be  content  with 
the  few  lines  I  can  send,  till  the  few  days  become  none. 
We  believe  that  time  to  be  near,  and  we  shall  not  attempt 
to  deceive  you  about  it  My  brain  feels  under  the 
constant  sense  of  being  not  myself^  and  the  mtroduction 
of  this  new  fear  into  my  daily  life  makes  each  day 
sufficiently  trying  to  justify  the  longing  for  death,  which 
grows  upon  me  more  and  more." 

This  longing  was  fulfilled  on  the  27th  of  June,  1876. 
when  Harriet  Martineau  closed  m  peace  her  long  and 
active  life. 


MISS   BIRD   AND   OTHERS. 

•  'TpHE  climate  of  Colorado  is  the  finest  in  North 
X  America;  and  consumptives,  asthmatics,  dys- 
px  ptics,  and  sufferers  from  nervous  diseases  are  here  in 
hundreds  and  thousands,  either  trying  the  '  camp  cure ' 
for  three  or  four  months,  or  settling  here  permanently. 
Pe(^le  can  safely  sleep  out  of  doors  for  six  months  of 
the  year.  The  plains  are  from  4,000  to  6,000  feet 
high,  and  some  of  the  settled  'parks,'  or  mountain 
valleys,  are  from  8,000  to  10,000.  The  air,  besides 
being  much  rarefied,  is  very  dry;  the  rainfall  is  far 
below  the  average,  dews  are  rare,  and  fogs  nearly  un- 
known. The  sunshine  is  bright  and  almost  constant, 
and  three-fourths  of  the  days  are  cloudless." 

This  is  not  Eden,  but  Colorado ;  yet,  seeing  it  repro- 
duces as  nearly  as  possible  what  we  may  suppose  to  have 
been  the  primary  characteristics  of  that  first  Garden,  to 
us  dwellers  in  a  land  where  mists  and  fogs  are  frequent 
and  sunbeams  are  rare,  Miss  Bird's  description  of  it 
reaas  like  an  effort  of  the  imagination.  Miss  Bird 
traversed  a  portion  of  Colorado  in  1878,  on  her  way  to 

418 


MISS  BIRD.  4»9 

explore  the  recesses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.     Starting 
from  San  Francisco,  she  travelled  by  railway  to  Truckee. 
Here  she   hired  a  horse,   and  for  greater  convenience 
assumed  what  she  styled  her  "  Hawaiian  riding  dress" — 
that   is,   a  half-fitting  jacket,  a  skirt  reaching  to  the 
ankles,   and   full  Turkish  trousers   gathered  into  frills, 
which  fell  over   the  boots— "a   thoroughly  serviceable 
and   feminine   costume   for  mountaineering   and   other 
rough  travelling  in  any  part  of  the  world."     Throwing 
over  these  habiliments  a  dust-cloak,  she  rode  through 
Truckee,  and   then  followed   up   the  windings   of  the 
Truckee   river — a    loud-tongued,    rollicking    mountain- 
stream,  flowing  between  ranges  of  great  castellated  and 
embattled  sierras.     Through  the  blue  gloom  of  a  pine- 
forest  she  gallantly  made  her  way,  charmed  by  the  magic 
of  the  scenery  that  opened  out  before  her.     "  Crested 
blue-jays  darted   through   the  dark   pines,  squirrels   in 
hundreds  scampered  through  the  forest,  red  dragon-flies 
flashed  like  *  living  light,'  exquisite  chipmonks  ran  across 
the  track,  but  only  a  dusty  blue  legion  here  and  there 
reminded  one  of  earth's  fairer  children.     Then  the  river 
became  broad  and  still,  and  mirrored  in  its  transparent 
depths    regal    pines,    straight  as    an   arrow,   with   rich 
yellow  and  green   lichen  clinging  to  their   stems,  and 
firs  and  balsam  pines  filling  up  the  spaces  between  them. 
The  gorge  opened,  and  this  mountain-girdled  lake  laj 
before  me,  with  its  margin  broken  up   into  bays  and 
promontories,  most  picturesquely  clothed  by  huge  sugar- 
pines." 


430  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

From  Lake  Tabor  Miss  Bird  returned  to  Truckee, 
and  started  on  another  excursion  which  brought  her 
within  view  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake  and  the  Mormon 
town  of  Ogden,  and  thence  to  Cheyenne,  in  the  State  of 
Wyoming.  Having  thus  crossed  the  mountain-range  of 
the  Sierras  and  descended  into  the  plains,  she  entered 
upon  the  region  of  the  "  boundless  prairies — great 
stretches  of  verdure,  generally  level,  but  elsewhere 
rolling  in  long  undulations,  like  the  waves  of  a  sea 
which  had  fallen  asleep."  Their  monotony  is  broken 
by  large  villages  of  the  so-called  prairie  dogs,  the  Wish- 
ton- Wish,  a  kind  of  marmot,  which  owes  its  misleading 
name  to  its  short,  sharp  bark.  The  villages  are  com- 
posed of  raised  circular  orifices,  about  eighteen  inches 
in  diameter,  from  which  a  number  of  inclined  passages 
slope  downwards  for  five  or  six  feet.  "  Hundreds  of 
these  burrows  are  placed  together.  On  nearly  every 
rim  a  small  furry,  reddish-buff  beast  sat  on  his  hind  legs, 
looking,  so  far  as  head  went,  much  like  a  young  seal 
These  creatures  were  acting  as  sentinels,  and  sunning 
themselves.  As  we  passed  each  gave  a  warning  yelp, 
shook  its  tail,  and,  with  a  ludicrous  flourish  of  his  hind- 
legs,  dived  into  its  hole.  The  appearance  of  hundreds 
of  these  creatures,  each  eighteen  inches  long,  sitting  like 
dogs  begging,  with  their  paws  down  and  all  turned 
sunwards,  is  most  grotesque." 

At  Greeley  Miss  Bird  entered  Colorado,  which  she 
describes,  as  we  have  seen,  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
suggest    that    it    rivals     Dr.    Richardson's    imaginary 


MISS  BIRD.  421 

'"Hygeia"  in  all  essential  particulars.  From  Greeley 
she  hastened  to  Fort  Collins,  with  the  grand  masses 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains  facing  her  as  she  advanced. 
Still  across  the  boundless  sea-like  prairie  struck  the 
indefatigable  traveller,  until  she  came  to  a  sort  of 
tripartite  valley,  with  a  majestic  crooked  canon,  2,000 
feet  deep,  and  watered  by  a  roaring  stream,  where  in 
a  rude  log-cabin  she  abode  for  several  days.  Having 
obtained  a  horse  she  rode  across  the  highlands,  and 
striking  up  the  St  Vrain  Canyon  ascended  to  Esteo 
Park,  7,500  feet  above  the  sea-level.  To  understand 
the  majesty  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the  reader  must 
■  think  of  them  as  a  mass  of  summits,  frequently  200  and 
250  miles  wide,  stretching,  with  scarcely  any  interrup- 
tion of  continuity,  almost  from  the  Arctic  Circle  to  the 
Straits  of  Magellan.  At  the  point  ascended  by  Miss 
Bird  their  scenery  was  of  the  grandest  description — 
wonderful  ascents,  wild  fantastic  views,  cool  and  bowery 
shades,  romantic  glens  echoing  melodiously  with  the 
fall  of  waters.  But  it  is  only  fair  that  Miss  Bird  should 
be  heard  on  her  own  account : — 

"  A  tremendous  ascent  among  rocks  and  pines  to  a 
height  of  9,000  feet  brought  us  to  a  passage  seven  feet 
wide  through  a  wall  of  rock,  with  an  abrupt  descent  of 
2,000  feet,  and  a  yet  higher  ascent  beyond.  I  never 
saw  anything  so  strange  as  looking  back.  It  was  a  single 
gigantic  ridge  which  we  had  passed  through,  standing  up 
knife-like,,  built  up  entirely  of  great  brick-shaped  masses 
fOf  bright-red   rock,  piled   one   on   another  by  Titans. 


422  JVOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

Pitch-pines  grew  out  of  these  crevices,  but  there  was  not 
a  vestige  of  soil.      Beyond,  wall  beyond  wall  of  similar 
construction,  and  range  above  range,  rose  into  the  blue 
sky.     Fifteen  miles  more  over  great  ridges,  along  passes - 
dark  with  shadow,  and  so  narrow  that  we  had  to  ride  in. 
the   beds  of  the  streams  which  had  excavated   them, 
round  the  bases  of  colossal  pyramids  of  rock  crested, 
with   pines,  up    into    fair    upland    'parks'   scarlet    in 
patches  with  the  poison  oak,  parks  so  beautifully  arranged 
by  nature  that  I  momentarily  expected  to  come  upon 
some  stately  mansion ;  but  that  afternoon,  crested  blue 
jays  and  chipmonks  had  them  all  to  themselves.  Here,  in 
the  early  morning,  deer,  bighorn,  and  the  stately  elk  come 
down  to  feed ;  and  there,  in  the  night,  prowl  and  growl  the 
Rocky  Mountain  lion,  the  grizzly  bear,  and  the  cowardly 
wolf  There  were  chasms  of  immense  depth,  dark  with  the 
indigo  gloom  of  pines,  and  mountains  with  snow  gleam- 
ing on  their  splintered  crests,  loveliness  to  bewilder  and 
grandeur  to  awe,  and  still  streams  and  shady  pools,  and 
cool   depths   of  shadow;  mountains  again,  dense  with 
pines,  among  which  patches  of  aspen  gleamed  like  gold ;. 
valleys  where  the  yellow  cottonwood  mingled  with  the 
crimson  oak,  and  so,  on  and  on  through  the  lengthening- 
shadows  till  the  track,  which  in  places  had  been  hardly 
legible,  became  well   defined,  and  we   entered  a  long 
gulch  with  broad  swellings  of  grass  belted  with  pines."*' 
Long's  Peak,  the  "American  Matterhorn,"  14,700  feet: 

•  Bird :  "  A  Lady's  Life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,"  pp.  69,  90. 


M/SS  BIRD,  425> 

high,  has  seldom  been  ascended,  and  Miss  Bird  is  the 
first  woman  who  has  had  the  courage  and  resolution  to 
reach  its  summit  Her  party  consisted  of  herself,  two 
youths,  the  sons  of  a  certain  Dr.  H.,  and  "  Mountain 
Jim,"  one  of  the  famous  scouts  of  the  plain,  an  expert  in- 
Indian  border  warfare,  who  acted  as  guide.  The  ride  at 
first  was  one  long  series  of  glories  and  surprises,  of  peak 
and  glade,  of  lake  and  stream,  and  of  mountain  upon, 
mountain,  culminating  in  the  shivered  pinnacles  of) 
Long's  Peak.  And  as  the  sun  slowly  sank,  the  pines- 
stood  out  darkling  against  the  golden  sky,  the  grey  peaks 
took  upon  their  crests  a  glory  of  crimson  and  purple,  a. 
luminous  mist  of  changing  colours  filled  every  glen, 
gorge,  and  canyon,  while  the  echoes  softly  repeated  that 
peculiar  sough  or  murmur  which  accompanies  the  de- 
parting day.  Our  adventurer,  with  heart  touched  by 
the  magical  beauty  and  magnificence  of  the  scene, 
crossed  a  steep  wooded  incline  into  a  deep  hollow, 
where,  embosomed  in  the  mountain-solitude,  slept  a 
lily-covered  lake,  cradling  white,  pure  blossoms  and 
broad  green  leaves,  and  aptly  named  "  The  Lake  of  the 
Lilies."  Calm  on  its  amethyst-coloured  waters  lay  the 
tremulous  shadow  of  the  great  dark  pine  woods. 

Thence  she  and  her  companions  passed  again  into  the 
leafy  wilderness  which  clothes  the  mountain  side  up  to- 
a  height  of  about  ii,ooo  feet,  cheered,  as  they  climbed 
slowly  upwards  on  their  laborious  path,  by  delightful 
vistas  of  "golden  atmospheres  and  rose-lit  summits." 
such  as  broke  upon  the  dreams  of  him  who  created  iik 


424  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

his  fancy  the  Garden  of  Arm i da ;  upward  and  onward 
through  the  dusky  shade,  which  in  itself  may  well  im 
press  a  quick  imagination.  It  is  the  silence  of  the  forest 
that  makes  its  mystery.  The  only  sounds  are  those  of 
the  branches  swaying  in  the  breeze,  or  of  a  bough 
crashing  to  the  ground  through  decay,  or  the  occasional 
voices  of  the  wandering  birds ;  and  these  seem  but  to 
increase  the  silence  by  their  inadequateness  of  contrast. 
Alone  in  this  profundity  of  gloom  it  is  difficult  for  the 
traveller  to  resist  the  sense  and  feeling  of  a  supernatural 
Presence,  and  he  comes  to  understand  in  what  way  such 
•eerie  legends  and  grim  traditions  have  grown  up  about 
the  forest,  and  why  to  the  early  races  its  still  depths 
•seemed  haunted  by  the  creatures  of  another  world. 

Silence  and  Twilight  here,  twin-sisters,  keep 
Their  noonday  watch,  and  sail  among  the  shades 
Like  vaporous  shapes  half  seen ; — 

and  the   forest  is  peopled  with  the  phantoms  that  are 
born  of  Silence  and  Twilight. 

As  they  ascended  they  found  that  the  pines  grew 
smaller  and  more  sparse,  and  the  last  stragglers  wore 
^*a  tortured,  waning  look."  The  forest  threshold  was 
■crossed;  but  yet  a  little  higher  a  slope  of  mountain 
meadow  dipped  to  the  south-west,  towards  a  bright 
stream  trickling  under  ice  and  icicles ;  and  there,  in  a 
grove  of  the  beautiful  silver  spruce,  our  travellers  re- 
solved to  encamp  for  the  night.  The  trees  were  small 
of  size,  but  so  exquisitely  arranged  that  one  might  well 


Af/SS  BIRD.  42J 

tisk  what  artist's  hand  had  planted  them— scattering 
them  here,  grouping  them  there,  and  training  their 
shapely  spires  towards  heaven.  "  Hereafter,"  says  Miss 
Bird,  "when  I  call  up  memories  of  the  glorious,  the 
view  from  this  camping-ground  will  come  up.  Looking 
east,  gorges  opened  to  the  distant  plains,  there  fading 
into  purple-grey.  Mountains  with  pine-clothed  skirts  rose 
in  ranges,  or,  solitary,  uplifted  their  grey  summits; 
while  close  behind,  but  nearly  3,000  feet  above  us, 
towered  the  bald  white  crest  of  Long's  Peak,  its  huge 
precipices  red  with  the  light  of  a  sun  long  lost  to  our 
eyes.  Close  to  us,  in  the  caverned  side  of  the  peak, 
was  snow  that,  owing  to  its  position^  is  eternal.  Soon 
the  after-glow  came  on,  and  before  it  faded  a  big  half- 
moon  hung  out  of  the  heavens,  shining  through  the 
silver-blue  foliage  of  the  pines  on  the  frigid  background 
of  snow,  and  turning  the  whole  into  fairyland." 

This  passage  shows — what,  indeed,  is  sufficiently- 
evident  in  every  page  of  Miss  Bird's  travel-books — 
that  she  possesses,  as  every  traveller  ought  to  possess, 
the  artist's  temperament,  and  that  if  she  cannot  transfer 
the  scenes  she  loves  to  the  canvas,  she  knows  how 
to  reproduce  them  in  words  that  have  the  glow  of 
light  and  life.  A  sense  of  the  beautiful,  and  a  power  of 
expressing  that  sense  so  as  to  make  it  felt  by  others, 
is  the  primary  and  indispensable  qualification  of  the 
traveller.  He  must  have  eyes  to  see  and  ears  to  hear ; 
and  that  his  fellow  may  be  the  wiser,  better,  and  happier 
for  his  enterprise,  he  must  have  the  faculty  of  describing 


A126  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

what  he  has  seen  and  heard  in  language  of  adequate 
force  and  clearness. 

With  a  great  fire  of  pine-logs  to  protect  them  against 
the  rigour  of  the  night — for  the  thermometer  marked 
•twelve  degrees  below  freezing-point — our  travellers 
passed  the  hours  of  darkness.  When  the  sun  rose,  they 
too  arose  j  and  it  was  well  to  do  so,  as  sunrise  from  a 
mountain  top  is  such  a  spectacle  of  glory  as  few  eyes 
'have  the  happiness  to  look  upon.  From  the  chill  grey 
peak  above  them,  with  its  eternal  snows  and  pathless 
•forests,  down  to  the  plains  which  spread  below  like  a 
cold  and  waveless  sea,  everything  underwent  a  strange 
and  marvellously  beautiful  transformation ;  for,  as  the 
sun  rose  above  the  horizon  in  all  the  fulness  of  its 
orbed  splendour,  the  grey  of  the  plains  flushed  into 
purple,  the  wan  peaks  gleamed  like  rubies,  the  pines  shone 
like  so  many  columns  of  gold,  and  the  sky  reddened 
with  rose-hues  like  the  blush  on  a  fair  face.  After 
breakfast  the  party  resumed  their  ascent  of  the  moun- 
tain, and  in  due  time  arrived  at  the  "  Notch" — a  literal 
gate  of  rock — when  they  found  themselves  on  the 
knife-like  ridge  or  backbone  of  Long's  Peak,  only  a 
few  feet  wide,  covered  with  huge  boulders,  and  on  the 
other  side  shelving  in  a  snow-patched  precipice  of 
3,000  feet  to  a  picturesque  hollow,  brightened  by  an 
emerald  lake. 

"  Passing  through  the  *  Notch,'  "  says  Miss  Bird,  ^'  we 
looked  along  the  nearly  inaccessible  side  of  the  peak, 
K:omposed  of  boulders  and  debris  of  all  shapes  and  sizes, 


Af/SS  BIRD,  .U7 

through  which  appeared  broad,  smooth  ribs  of  reddish- 
coloured  granite,  looking  as  if  they  upheld  the  towering 
Tock-mass  above.  I  usually  dislike  bird's-eye  and  pano- 
ramic views,  but,  though  from  a  mountain,  this  was  not 
•one.  Serrated  ridges,  not  much  lower  than  that  on 
•which  we  stood,  rose,  one  beyond  another,  far  as  that 
pure  atmosphere  could  carry  the  vision,  broken  into 
awful  chasms  deep  with  ice  and  snow,  rising  into  pinnacles 
piercing  the  heavenly  blue  with  their  cold,  barren  grey, 
on,  on  for  ever,  till  the  most  distant  range  upbore  un- 
sullied snow  alone.  There  were  fair  lakes  mirroring 
the  dark  pine  woods,  canyons  dark  and  blue,  black  with 
unbroken  expanses  of  pines,  snow-slashed  pinnacles, 
wintry  heights  frowning  upon  lovely  parks,  watered  and 
wooded,  lying  in  the  lap  of  summer ;  North  Park  float- 
ing off  into  the  blue  distance,  Middle  Park  closed  till 
another  season,  the  sunny  slopes  of  Esteo  Park,  and 
■winding  down  among  the  mountains  the  snowy  ridge  of 
the  Divide  (the  backbone,  or  water-shed  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains),  whose  bright  waters  seek  both  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific  Oceans.  There,  far  below,  links  of 
diamonds  showed  where  the  grand  river  takes  its  rise 
to  seek  the  mysterious  Colorado,  with  its  still  un- 
solved enigma,  and  lose  itself  in  the  waters  of  the 
Pacific;  and  nearer,  the  snow-bom  Thompson  bursts 
forth  from  the  ice  to  begin  its  journey  to  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico.  Nature,  rioting  in  her  grandest  mood,  ex- 
claimed with  voices  of  grandeur,  solitude,  sublimity, 
.beauty,  and  infinity,  *  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  Thou  art 


428  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER 

mindful  of  him  ?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest 
him  ? ' "* 

At  the  "  Notch  "  the  true  character  of  the  enterprise 
she  had  undertaken  was  forcibly  brought  home  to  Miss 
Bird's  consciousness.  The  Peak  towered  above  her,  two- 
thousand  feet  of  solid  rock,  with  smooth  granite  sides, 
affording  scarcely  a  foothold,  and  patches  of  re-frozen 
snow,  presenting  no  ordinary  obstacle  to  the  advance. 
She  was  by  no  means  an  expert  mountaineer,  having 
"neither  head  nor  ankles,"  and,  in  reality,  she  was  dragged. 
or  hauled  up  the  ascent  by  the  patience,  skill,  and 
strength  of  "  Mountain  Jim."  Up  a  deep  ravine  they 
attained  to  the  passage  of  the  "  Dog's  Lift,"  through 
which  they  emerged  on  a  narrow,  rugged  shelf,  broken, 
and  uneven,  forming  a  kind  of  terrace  or  platform, 
where  they  drew  breath  before  attempting  the  last  500. 
feet — the  terminal  peak  itself,  a  smooth  cone  of  pure 
granite  with  almost  perpendicular  sides.  The  only  foot- 
hold here  was  in  narrow  cracks  or  on  minute  projections^ 
of  the  granite.  To  get  a  toe  in  these  cracks  or  on  one 
or  other  of  these  scarcely  visible  projections,  while  crawl- 
ing on  hands  and  knees,  weary,  thirst-tortured,  and 
gasping  for  breath,  this  was  to  climb  ;  but  at  last  the 
peak  was  won,  and  Miss  Bird  rejoiced  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  being  the  first  woman  who  had  ever  placed  her 
feet  on  its  lofty  summit. 


*  Isabella   Bird:    *'A   Lady's  Life  in  the  Rocky  Mountains '" 
pp.  108,  109. 


% 


MISS  BIRD.  42^ 

The  descent,  as  far  as  the  "  Notch,"  was  tiot  less  labor- 
ious or  painful  than  the  upward  effort  had  been;  and 
when  Miss  Bird  reached  their  former  camping-ground 
she  was  thoroughly  exhausted  with  fatigue  and  thirst 
But  a  night's  rest  recruited  her  remarkable  energies,  and 
when  the  morning  dawned  she  was  fresh  and  vigorous 
as  ever,  and  happy  in  the  memory  of  her  successful 
enterprise — an  enterprise  such  as  few  women  have  ever 
equalled — and  in  recollections  of  the  beauty  and  sub- 
limity of  Long's  Peak,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  "  joys  for 
ever." 

The  "  parks  "  of  which  we  have  spoken  are  broad, 
grassy  valleys,  lying  at  heights  which  vary  from  6,000  to 
11,000  feet  They  are  the  favourite  retreats  of  innu- 
merable animals — wapiti,  bighorn  oxen,  mountain  lions, 
the  great  grizzly,  the  wary  beaver,  the  evil-smelling 
skunk,  the  craven  wolf,  cayote  and  lynx,  to  say  nothing 
of  lesser  breeds,  such  as  marten,  wild  cat,  fox,  mink, 
hare,  chipmonk,  and  squirrel.  Their  features  have  been- 
fully  described  by  Lord  Dunraven  in  his  picturesque 
book,  "The  Great  Divide." 

Miss  Bird's  animated  pages  present  so  many  delight- 
ful pictures  of  mountain  scenery  that  we  know  not 
which  to  choose  in  illustration  of  her  remarkable  descrip- 
tive powers.  We  have  already  alluded  to  her  faculty  of 
pictorial  presentment;  it  is  one  in  which  few  of  her 
sex  surpass  her ;  she  puts  a  scene  before  us  with  as  much 
life  and  distinctness  as  a  Constable  or  a  Peter  Graham, 
and  the  reader,  who  would  form  a  clear  and  well-defined 

28 


4«  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER, 

conception  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  in  their  picturesaue 
aspects,  cannot  do  better  than  study  her  little  but 
delightful  book.  While  reading  it  one  seems  to  feel 
the  pure,  keen,  mountain  air  around  one,  to  see  the 
great  peaks  rising  one  above  the  other  like  the  towers 
and  spires  of  some  vast  cathedral  of  nature ;  to  watch 
the  ever-shifting  phantasmagoria  of  gorgeous  colour  that 
rolls  over  the  landscape  from  sunrise  to  sunset,  and  in 
the  hush  of  the  moonlit  night  disappears  before  the 
silver  radiance  of  the  nascent  orb ;  to  hear  the  fall  of 
the  mountain  streams,  and  to  catch  the  breath  of  the 
fragrant  wind  that  comes  from  the  pine-forest  loaded 
with  fragrance  and  freshness  and  subtle  odours. 

Traversing  Colorado,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Plate  River,  she  tells  us  that  she  "  rode  up  one 
great  ascent,  where  hills  were  tumbled  about  confusedly ; 
and  suddenly,  across  the  broad  ravine,  above  the 
sunny  grass  and  the  deep-green  pines,  rose  in  glowing 
and  shaded  red  against  the  glittering  blue  heaven,  a 
magnificent  and  unearthly  range  of  mountains,  as  shapely 
as  could  be  seen,  rising  into  colossal  points,  cleft  by 
deep  blue  ravines,  broken  up  into  shark's  teeth,  with 
gigantic  knobs  and  pinnacles  rising  from  their  inac- 
cessible sides,  very  fair  to  look  upon — a  glowing, 
heavenly,  unforgettable  sight,  and  only  four  miles  off. 
Mountains  they  looked  not  of  this  earth,  but  such  as 
one  sees  in  dreams  alone,  the  blessed  ranges  of  *the 
land  which  is  very  far  off.'  They  were  more  brilliant 
than  those  incredible  colours  in  which   painters  array 


MISS  BIRD.  431 

the  fiery  hills  of  Moab  and  the  Desert,  and  one  could 
not  believe  them  for  ever  uninhabited,  for  on  them  rose, 
as  in  the  B^t,  the  similitude  of  stately  fortresses,  not 
the  grey  castellated  towers  of  feudal  Europe,  but  gay, 
massive,  Saracenic  architecture,  the  outgrowth  of  the 
solid  rock.  They  were  vast  ranges,  apparently  of 
-enormous  height,  their  colour  indescribable,  deepest  and 
reddest  near  the  pine-draped  bases,  then  gradually 
softening  into  wonderful  tenderness,  till  the  highest 
summits  rose  all  flushed,  and  with  an  illusion  of  trans- 
parency, so  that  one  might  believe  that  they  were  taking 
on  the  hue  of  sunset  Below  these  lay  broken  ravines 
of  fantastic  iOcks,  cleft  and  canyoned  by  the  river,  with 
a  tender  unearthly  light  over  all,  the  apparent  warmth 
of  a  glowing  clime,  while  I  on  the  north  side  was  in 
the  shadow  among  the  pure  unsullied  snow, 

**  *  With  us  the  damp,  the  chill,  the  gloom ; 
With  them  the  sunset's  rosy  bloom.' 

"  The  dimness  of  earth  with  me,  the  light  of  heaven 
-with  them.  Here,  again,  worship  seemed  the  only 
attitude  for  a  human  spirit,  and  the  question  was  ever 
present,  '  Lord,  what  is  man,  that  Thou  art  mindful  of 
him  ?  and  the  son  of  man,  that  Thou  visitest  him?  *  I  rode 
up  and  down  hills  laboriously  in  snow-drifts,  getting  off 
often  to  ease  my  faithful  Birdie  by  walking  down  ice- 
clad  slopes,  stopping  constantly  to  feast  my  eyes  upon 
that  changeless  glory,  always  seeing  some  new  ravine, 
"with  its  depths  of  colour  or  miraculous  brilliancy  of  red 


432  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

or  phantasy  of  form.  Then  below,  where  the  trail  was 
locked  into  a  deep  canyon,  where  there  was  scarcely 
room  for  it  and  the  river,  there  was  a  beauty  of  another 
kind  in  solemn  gloom.  There  the  stream  curved  and 
twisted  marvellously,  widening  into  shallows,  narrowing 
into  deep  boiling  eddies,  with  pyramidal  firs  and  the 
beautiful  silver  spruce  fringing  its  banks,  and  often 
falling  across  it  in  artistic  grace,  the  gloom  chill  and 
deep,  with  only  now  and  then  a  light  trickling  through 
the  pines  upon  the  cold  snow,  when,  suddenly  turning 
round,  I  saw  behind,  as  if  in  the  glory  of  an  eternal 
sunset,  those  flaming  and  fantastic  peaks.  The  effect 
of  the  combination  of  winter  and  summer  was  singular. 
The  trail  rose  on  the  north  side  the  whole  time,  and  the 
snow  lay  deep  and  pure  white,  while  not  a  wreath  of  it 
lay  on  the  south  side,  where  abundant  lawns  basked  in 
the  warm  sun."* 

There  is  something  in  the  majesty  of  mountain 
scenery,  in  the  lofty  peaks,  the  shadowy  ravines,  and 
the  tremendous  precipices ;  in  the  glow  and  light  and 
glory  which  the  sun  pours  out  upon  the  heights,  and  the 
strange  gloom  and  haunted  darkness  which  sleep  in  the 
mysterious  depths,  that  deeply  impresses  the  imagina- 
tion and  the  thoughts  of  men,  and  appeals  to  that  higher, 
purer  nature  which  too  often  lies  dormant  in  us.  How- 
ever unmoved  we  may  be  by  the  ordinary  sights  and 


•  T,   L.   Bird:   "A  Lady's   Life    in   the   Rocky  Mountains," 
pp.  194—196. 


MISS  BIRD.  433 

sounds  which  fill  up  the  landscapes,  we  are  most  of  us 
hushed  and  breathless  among  the  mountains,  mutely 
acknowledging  the  manifestations  of  a  Presence  and  a 
Power  which  are  not  of  the  earth— earthy.  As  the  rose 
of  dawn  blushes  on  each  waving  crest  in  the  birth-hour 
of  the  day,  or  the  purple  splendour  invests  them  in 
regal  robes  when  the  sun  goes  down,  they  seem  to 
reveal  to  us  a  vision  of  the  other  world ;  those  changing 
lights  that  fall  upon  them  are  surely  the  passing  gleams 
of  wings  of  angels;  those  mystic  voices  that  linger 
among  their  echoes,  what  can  they  be  but  the  divine 
chords  of  that  glorious  harmony  which  for  ever  goes  up 
around  the  "great  white  throne"? 

Let  us  now  glance  at  one  or  two  of  the  personal 
experiences  of  Miss  Bird,  who,  we  need  hardly  say, 
carried  in  her  bosom  a  man's  heart,  and  was  never 
wanting  in  courage  or  resolution.  Among  the  Rocky 
Mountains  one  sometimes  meets  with  strange  com- 
panions; and  on  her  ride  from  Hall's  Gulch  to  Deer 
Valley  Miss  Bird  was  joined  by  a  horseman,  who  would 
have  made  a  fine  hero  of  melodrama.  A  picturesque 
figure  he  looked  on  his  good  horse,  with  his  long  fair 
curls  drooping  from  under  a  big  slouch  hat  almost  to 
his  waist ;  a  fine  beard,  good  blue  eyes,  a  ruddy  com- 
plexion, a  frank  expression  of  countenance,  and  a 
courteous,  respectful  bearing.  He  wore  a  hunter's 
buckskin  suit,  ornamented  with  beads,  and  a  pair  of 
ve.y  big  brass  spurs.     His  saddle  was  elaborately  orna- 


434  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

mented.  What  chiefly  drew  attention  in  his  equipment 
was  the  number  of  weapons  hung  about  him ;  he  was 
a  small  arsenal  in  himself !  Two  revolvers  and  a  knife 
were  thrust  into  his  belt,  and  across  his  back  was 
slung  a  carbine ;  in  addition,  he  had  a  rifle  resting  on 
his  saddle,  and  a  pair  of  pistols  in  the  holsters. 

This  martial  rider  was  Comanche  Bill,  whom  gossip 
described  as  one  of  the  most  notorious  desperadoes  of 
the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  the  greatest  Indian  "  exter- 
minator" on  the  frontier.  His  father  and  family  had 
been  massacred  at  Spirit  Lake  by  the  hands  of  Indians, 
who  carried  away  his  sister,  a  child  of  eleven.  Since 
then  he  had  mainly  devoted  himself  to  the  double  task 
of  revenging  the  victims  and  searching  for  this  missing 
sister. 

Riding  from  Golden  City,  a  place  which  every  day 
and  every  hour  gave  the  lie  to  its  gorgeous  name.  Miss 
Bird  lost  her  way  on  the  prairie.  A.  teamster  bade  her 
go  forward  to  a  place  where  three  tracks  would  be  seen, 
and  then  to  take  the  best-travelled  one,  steering  all  the 
time  by  the  north  star.  Following  his  directions  she 
came  to  tracks,  but  it  was  then  so  dark  she  could  see 
nothing,  and  soon  the  darkness  so  increased  that  she 
could  not  see  even  her  horse's  ears,  and  was  lost  and 
benighted.  Hour  after  hour  our  heroine — for  a  lady 
who  crosses  the  Rocky  Mountains  alone  may  surely 
claim  the  title ! — rode  onward  in  the  darkness  and 
solitude,  the  prairie  sweeping  all  around  her,  and  a 
hrmament    of    frosty    stars    glittering     overhead.      A* 


MISS  BIRD.  435 

intervals  might  be  heard  the  howl  of  the  prairie  woU^ 
and  the  occasional  lowing  of  cattle  gave  her  hope  of 
the  neighbourhood  of  maa  But  there  was  nothing 
but  the  wild  and  lonely  plain,  and  she  felt  a  keen 
desire  to  see  a  light  or  hear  a  voice,  the  solitude  was 
so  oppressive.  It  was  very  cold,  and  a  hard  frost  lay 
on  the  ground.  At  last,  however,  she  heard  the  bark 
of  a  dog,  and  then  the  too  common  sound  of  a  man 
swearing ;  she  saw  a  light,  and  in  another  minute  found 
herself  at  a  large  house  eleven  miles  from  Denver, 
where  a  hospitable  reception  cheered  the  belated 
traveller. 

Here  is  another  and  more  startling  episode,  which 
occurred  during  her  journey  from  Esteo  "Park"  to 
Longmount,  a  ride  of  loo  miles  on  a  bitter  cold 
December  morning  : — 

"We  all  got  up  before  daybreak  on  Tuesday,  and 
breakfasted  at  seven.  ...  I  took  only  two  pounds  of 
luggage,  some  raisins,  the  mail  bag,  and  an  additional 
blanket  under  my  saddle.  .  .  .  The  purple  sun  rose  in 
front.  Had  I  known  what  made  it  purple  I  should 
certainly  have  gone  no  farther.  These  clouds,  the 
morning  mist  as  I  supposed,  lifted  themselves  up 
rose-lighted,  showing  the  sun's  disc  as  purple  as  one 
of  the  jars  in  a  chemist's  window,  and  having  per- 
mi<^ted  this  glimpse  of  their  king,  came  down  again 
as  a  dense  mist;  the  wind  chopped  round,  and  the 
nust  Degan  to  Ireeze  hard.      Soon   Birdie  ana  myseif 


436  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

were  a  mass  of  acicular  crystals ;  it  was  a  true  easterly 
iog.  I  galloped  on,  hoping  to  get  through  it,  unable 
to  see  a  yard  before  me ;  but  it  thickened,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  subside  into  a  jog-trot.  As  I  rode  on, 
about  four  miles  from  the  cabin,  a  human  figure, 
looking  gigantic  like  the  spectre  of  the  Brock  en,  with 
long  hair  white  as  snow,  appeared  close  to  me,  and 
at  the  same  moment  there  was  the  flash  of  a  pistol 
close  to  my  ear,  and  I  recognized  *  Mountain  Jim,' 
frozen  from  head  to  foot,  looking  a  century  old  with 
his  snowy  hair.  It  was  'ugly*  altogether,  certainly  a 
*  desperado's '  grim  jest,  and  it  was  best  to  accept  it 
as  such,  though  I  had  just  cause  for  displeasure.  He 
stormed  and  scolded,  dragged  me  off  the  pony — for 
my  hands  and  feet  were  numb  with  cold — took  the 
bridle,  and  went  off  at  a  rapid  stride,  so  that  I  had 
to  run  to  keep  them  in  sight  in  the  darkness,  for  we 
were  off  the  road  in  a  thicket  of  scrub,  looking  like 
white  branch-coral,  I  knew  not  where.  Then  we  came 
suddenly  on  his  cabin  .  .  .  and  the  '  ruffian '  insisted  on 
my  going  in,  and  he  made  a  good  fire,  and  heated  some 
coffee,  raging  all  the  time.  .  .  .  He  took  me  back  to  the 
track;  and  the  interview,  which  began  with  a  pistol- 
shot,  ended  quite  pleasantly.  It  was  an  eerie  ride,  one 
not  to  be  forgotten,  though  there  was  no  danger." 

It  would  be  difficult  to  point  out  any  deficiency  on 
Miss  Bird's  part  in  those  qualifications  which  constitute 
a  great  traveller.  Physically  as  well  as  mentally  sne 
seems    to    have    proved    herself    the    equal    oi    men. 


LADY  FLORENCE  DIXIE,  437 

'Endurance,  courage,  promptitude,  decision,  the  capacity 
»for  quiet  and  accurate  observation,  the  ready  adaptability 
to  circumstances — she  possessed  all  these  high  virtues. 
Her  "  Ride  in  the  Rocky  Mountains "  shows  what  may 
be  accomplished  by  a  brave,  strong  woman  under  very 
•difficult  conditions.  In  one  respect,  perhaps,  her  sex 
was  an  advantage  ;  it  appears  to  have  ensured  her  an 
uniform  courtesy  of  treatment  and  cordiality  of  reception 
•in  the  most  remote  places  and  among  the  wildest  and 
most  reckless  men ;  but  it  is  obvious  that  in  other 
respects  it  must  frequently  have  been  found  an  incon- 
venience and  even  a  danger,  had  it  not  been  for  her  true 
patience,  her  unfailing  good  humour,  and  her  indomit- 
able "pluck." 

Miss  Bird  is  also  the  author  of  a  charming  book  on 
Hawaii,  and  a  not  less  charming  record  of  her  wander- 
ings in  "Unbeaten  Tracks  in  Japan." 

Time  was,  and  not  so  very  long  ago,  when  a  visit  to  the 
wilds  of  Patagonia  on  the  part  of  an  English  lady  would 
'have  been  regarded  as  a  wonderful  achievement.  Now- 
a-days  it  excites  but  little  comment  The  interest 
excited  by  Lady  Florence  Dixie's  book,  "Across  Pata- 
i-gonia,"  was  the  legitimate  interest  inspired  by  her  fresh 
and  lively  description  of  "unexplored  and  untrodden 
ground,"  and  not  the  idle  curiosity  which  a  sensational 
-achievement  sometimes  excites.  If  one  lady  can  make 
a  voyage  round  the  world,  why  should  not  another  ride 
•aooss  Patagonia?    To  our  grandmothers  a  French  or 


438  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER, 

Italian  tour  was  an  event  of  novelty  and  importance;, 
but  nous  avons  change  tout  cela.  It  is  quite  understood; 
that  no  **  terra  incognita  "  exists  into  which  our  female 
travellers  would  fear  to  penetrate. 

Lady  Florence  Dixie  frankly  tells  us  her  reason  for- 
venturing  into  Patagonia,  and  no  doubt  it  is  the  reason 
which  has  actuated  many  of  her  sisters  in  their  world- 
wanderings.  She  went  to  "an  outlandish  place  so  many 
miles  away  " — as  her  friends  called  it — "  precisely  because 
it  was  an  outlandish  place  and  so  far  away."  She  adds :. 
"Palled  for  the  moment  with  civilization  and  its  sur- 
roundings, I  wanted  to  escape  somewhere  where  I  might 
be  as  far  removed  from  them  as  possible.  Many  of 
my  readers  have  doubtless  felt  the  dissatisfaction  with, 
oneself  and  everybody  else  that  comes  over  one  at  times 
in  the  midst  of  the  pleasures  of  life ;  when  one  wearies 
of  the  shallow  artificiality  of  modern  existence  ;  when, 
what  was  once  excitement  has  become  so  no  longer,  and 
a  longing  grows  up  within  one  to  taste  a  more  vigorous 
unction  than  that  afforded  by  the  monotonous  round  ot 
society's  so-called  pleasures." 

In  this  state  of  mind  she  looked  round  for  some 
country  that  would  satisfy  her  requirements,  and  decided- 
upon  Patagonia,  because  nowhere  else  could  she  find 
an  area  of  100,000  square  miles  for  "equestrian 
exercise,"  where  one  would  be  free  from  the  presence  of 
savage  tribes  and  obnoxious  animals,  as  well  as  from  the: 
persecution  of  morning  calls,  invitations,  garden  parties,, 
telegrams,  letters^  and  all  the  other  "  resources  of  civili- 


LADY  FLORENCE  DIXIE.  439- 

zation."  To  these  attractions  was  added  the  thought, 
always  alluring  to  an  active  mind,  that  there  she  would 
be  able  to  penetrate  into  vast  wilds,  untrod  as  yet  by  the 
foot  of  man.  "  Scenes  of  infinite  beauty  and  grandeur 
might  be  lying  hidden  in  the  silent  solitude  of  the 
mountains  which  bound  the  barren  plains  of  the  Pampas, 
into  whose  mysterious  recesses  no  one  as  yet  had  ever 
ventured.  And  I  was  to  be  the  first  to  behold  them  ! — 
an  egotistical  pleasure,  it  is  true  ;  but  the  idea  had  ai 
great  charm  for  me,  as  it  has  had  for  many  others.** 

Accompanied  by  her  husband,  brothers,  and  three- 
friends,  Lady  Florence  left  Liverpool  on  the  nth 
December,  1878.  Early  in  January  they  reached  Rio- 
de  Janeiro,  of  which  she  furnishes  a  pleasantly  graphic 
sketch,  that  gives  a  true  idea  of  her  descriptive  powers. 
"  Nowhere,"  she  says,  **  have  the  rugged  and  the  tender, 
the  wild  and  the  soft,  been  blended  into  such  exquisite 
union  as  at  Rio;  and  it  is  this  quality  of  unrivalled 
contrasts  that,  to  my  mind,  gives  to  that  scenery  its 
charm  of  unsurpassed  loveliness.  Nowhere  else  is  there 
such  audacity,  such  fierceness  even  of  outline,  coupled 
with  such  multiform  splendour  of  colour,  such  fairy- 
like delicacy  of  detail.  As  a  precious  jewel  is  encrusted* 
by  the  coarse  rock,  the  smiling  bay  lies  encircled  by" 
frowning  mountains  of  colossal  proportions  and  the 
most  capricious  shapes.  In  the  production  of  this  work 
the  most  opposite  powers  of  nature  have  been  laid- 
under  contribution.  The  awful  work  of  the  volcano — 
I  he  immense  boulders  of  rock  which  lie  piled  up  to  me 


440  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

clouds  in  irregular  masses — have  been  clothed  in  a 
brilliant  web  of  tropical  vegetation,  purple  and  green, 
sunshine  and  mist.  Here  nature  revels  in  manifold 
creation.  Life  multiplies  itself  a  millionfold,  the  soil 
bursts  with  exuberance  of  fertility,  and  the  profusion  of 
vegetable  and  animal  life  beggars  description.  Every 
tree  is  clothed  with  a  thousand  luxuriant  creepers, 
purple  and  scarlet-blossomed;  they  in  their  turn  sup- 
port myriads  of  lichens  and  other  verdant  parasites. 
The  plants  shoot  up  with  marvellous  rapidity,  and 
glitter  with  flowers  of  the  rarest  hues  and  shapes,  or 
bear  quantities  of  luscious  fruit,  pleasant  to  the  eye 
and  sweet  to  the  taste.  The  air  resounds  with  the  hum 
of  insect-life;  through  the  bright  green  leaves  of  the 
banana  skim  the  sparkling  humming-birds,  and  gor- 
geous butterflies  of  enormous  size  float,  glowing  with 
every  colour  of  the  rainbow,  on  the  flower-scented 
breezes.  But  over  all  this  beauty — over  the  luxuriance 
•of  vegetation,  over  the  softness  of  the  tropical  air,  over 
the  splendour  of  the  sunshine,  over  the  perfume  of  the 
flowers — Pestilence  has  cast  her  fatal  miasmas,  and,  like 
the  sword  of  Damocles,  the  yellow  fever  hangs  threaten- 
ingly over  the  heads  of  those  who  dwell  among  these 
lovely  scenes."* 

After  touching  at  Monte  Video,  Lady  Florence  Dixie's 
party  proceeded  southwards  to  the  Straits  of  Magellan, 
and  landed  at  Sandy  Point,  a  settlement  belonging  to 

•  Lady  Florence  Dixie  :  "Across  Patagonia,"  pp.  26—28. 


LADY  FLORENCE  DIXIE.  441 

the  Chilians,  who  call  it  "  La  Colonia  de  Magellanes." 
Here  they  procured  horses  and  mules  and  four  guides, 
and,  having  completed  all  the  necessary  arrangements, 
rode  along  the  shore  of  the  famous  Strait  to  Cape 
Negro.  On  the  opposite  side  they  could  distinctly  see 
the  Tierra  del  Fuego,  and  at  different  points  tall  columns 
of  smoke  rising  up  into  the  still  air  denoted  the  presence 
of  native  encampments,  just  as  Magellan  had  seen  them 
four  centuries  ago,  when  he  gave  to  the  island,  on  that 
account,  the  name  it  still  bears.  At  last  they  started 
into  the  interior,  and  began  their  exploration  of  the 
wide  region  of  the  Pampas.  Game  was  plentiful,  and 
the  fowling-pieces  of  the  party  brought  down  numerous 
victims.  As  they  advanced  they  came  into  occasional 
contact  with  the  Patagonians,  and  her  observations  of 
their  physical  character  are  important  and  valuable  in 
relation  to  the  marvellous  accounts  which  we  find  in 
the  old  voyagers.  "  I  was  not  so  much  struck  by  their 
height,"  she  says,  "  as  by  their  extraordinary  develop- 
ment of  chest  and  muscle.  As  regards  their  stature, 
I  do  not  think  the  average  height  of  the  men  exceeded 
six  feet,  and,  as  my  husband  stands  six  feet  two  inches, 
I  had  a  favourable  opportunity  for  forming  an  accurate 
estimate.  One  or  two  there  were,  certainly,  who  towered 
far  above  him,  but  these  were  exceptions.  The  women 
were  mostly  of  the  ordinary  height,  though  I  noticed 
one  who  must  have  been  quite  six  feet,  if  not  more." 

Lady  Florence  speaks  of  the  features  of  the  pure-bred 
Tchuelche,  or  Patagonian  aboriginal  as  extremely  regular. 


•442  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

and  by  no  means  unpleasant  to  look  at  "  The  nose  is 
■generally  aquiline,  the  mouth  well-shaped  and  beautified 
by  the  whitest  of  teeth,  the  expression  of  the  eye 
intelligent,  while  the  form  of  the  whole  head  indicates 
the  possession  of  considerable  mental  capabilities.  But 
such  is  not  the  case  with  the  Tchuelches  in  whose  veins 
is  a  mixture  of  Fuegian  or  Araucanian  blood.  Of  these 
latter  the  flat  noses,  oblique  eyes,  and  badly  proportioned 
figures  excite  disgust,  and  they  are  as  different  from  a 
pure-bred  Tchuelche  as  a  racer  is  from  an  ordinary  cart- 
horse. Then  long  coarse  hair  is  worn  parted  in  the 
middle,  and  is  prevented  from  falling  over  their  faces  bj 
means  of  a  handkerchief,  or  fillet  of  some  kind,  boun^ 
round  the  forehead.  They  suffer  no  hair  to  grow  on  th< 
face,  and  some  extract  even  their  eyebrows.  Their  dress 
is  simple,  consisting  of  a  'chiripa'  or  piece  of  cloth 
round  the  loins,  and  the  indispensable  guanaco  cape, 
which  is  hung  loosely  over  the  shoulders  and  held  round 
the  body  by  the  hand,  though  it  would  obviously  seem 
more  convenient  to  have  it  secured  round  the  waist  with 
a  belt  of  some  kind.  Their  horse-hide  boots  are  only 
worn,  for  reasons  of  economy,  when  hunting.  The  women 
dress  like  the  men  except  as  regards  the  chiripa,  instead 
of  which  they  wear  a  loose  kind  of  gown  beneath  the 
cape,  which  they  fasten  at  the  neck  with  a  silver  brooch 
or  pin.  The  children  are  allowed  to  run  about  naked  till 
they  are  five  or  six  years  old,  and  are  then  dressed  like 
their  elders.  Partly  for  ornament,  partly  also  as  a  means 
of  protection  against  the  wind,  a  great  many  Indians 


LADY  FLORENCE  DIXIE,  ddj 

•paint  their  faces,  their  favourite  colour,  as  far  as  I  could 
see,  being  red,  though  one  or  two  I  observed  had  given 
•the  preference  to  a  mixture  of  that  colour  with  black,  a 
very  diabolical  appearance  being  the  result  of  this  com- 
bination." 

We  cannot  follow  f-^dy  Florence  Dixie  through  all  her 
Patagonian  experiences,  which  in  their  infinite  variety 
must  have  fully  satisfied  her  craving  for  new  things.  She 
hunted  pumas,  ostriches,  guanacos ;  witnessed  the  wild 
and  wayward  movements  of  the  wild  horses  on  the  plains, 
which  for  ages  have  belonged  unto  them ;  suffered 
from  the  burden  of  the  heat,  and  the  attacks  of  the 
gnats ;  explored  the  recesses  of  the  Cordilleras,  and  came 
upon  a  broad  and  beautiful  lake,  on  which,  in  all 
probability,  no  human  eye  before  had  ever  looked  ;  until 
at  last  she  grew  weary  of  adventure,  and  she  and  her 
companions  turned  their  faces  once  more  towards  the 
commonplace  comforts  of  civilization.  All  this,  and 
more,  she  tells  with  much  animation,  quite  unaffectedly, 
and  in  a  style  which,  if  marked  by  no  special  literary 
-merit,  is  always  clear  and  vigorous.  One  can  do  much 
worse  than  while  away  an  hour  by  the  fireside  with  Lady 
Florence  Dixie's  book  in  one's  hand.  One  will  close  it 
with  the  conviction  that  the  writer  is  a  courageous,  live'y, 
-and  intelligent  woman,  who  can  ride  across  country  with 
a  firm  hand,  and  hold  her  own  in  any  dangerous  or  novel 
(position. 

Not  inferior  to  her  in  courage  and  endurance,  and 


444  WOMAN  AS  A   TPAVELLER. 

her  superior  in  literary  qualifications,  is  Miss  Gordoit 
Gumming,  who,  I  think,  among  female  travellers  has 
no  rival  except  Ida  Pfeiffer.  The  worthy  representative 
of  a  name  famous  in  the  annals  of  adventure  and 
enterprise,  she  has  put  a  girdle  round  about  the  world 
with  unfailing  ardour,  and  plunged  into  the  remote  and. 
almost  inaccessible  regions  of  the  great  Asiatic  table- 
land. Her  first  book,  "From  the  Hebrides  to  the 
Himalayas,"  attracted  a  great  deal  of  attention  by  the 
freshness  of  its  sketches,  the  grace  of  its  style,  the 
unconventionality  of  its  treatment,  and  by  the  space 
which  its  author  devoted  to  popular  superstitions  and 
antiquities.  Her  pictures  of  life  in  Tibet,  of  the 
scenery  of  the  Himalayas,  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  the  Indian  people,  of  Benares  and  Hurdwar  and 
Agra,  were  all  so  bright  and  clear  as  to  indicate  the 
pencil  of  no  ordinary  artist.  Miss  Gordon  Gumming 
next  betook  herself  to  the  Pacific,  and  spent  two  years 
**  at  Home  in  Fiji ; "  two  years  which  she  utilized  in  the 
collection  of  much  interesting  material.  She  was  pre- 
paring in  1880  to  return  to  England,  when  an  oppor- 
tunity was  offered  to  her  of  effecting  that  return  in  a 
manner  which  could  not  but  be  delightful  to  a  lady  of 
adventurous  disposition,  with  a  proper  scorn  for  social 
*'  Mrs.  Grundyism."  A  French  man-of-war,  the  Seignelay^ 
which  was  carrying  a  Roman  Catholic  bishop  on  a. 
cruise  round  his  oceanic  diocese,  arrived  at  Levaka,  and. 
its  officers  making  the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Gumming^ 
courteously  invited    her    to   accompany   them   on   the 


MISS   GORDON  CUMMING,  445 

T*»mainder  of  their  cruise.  There  was  a  delightful 
onginaiity  in  the  invitation,  and  a  no  less  delightful 
originality  in  the  acceptance  of  it.  The  French  officers 
fitted  up  a  pretty  little  cabin  for  her  accommodation, 
and  without  more  ado  she  took  up  her  quarters  on 
board  the  Seignclay^  with  no  other  escort  or  chaperonage 
than  that  of  the  good  bishop. 

From  Fiji  the  Seignelay  proceeded  to  Tonga,  in  the 
Friendly  Islands,  where,  in  the  usages  of  the  population 
and  in  the  insular  antiquities,  Miss  Gumming  found 
much  to  interest  her  and  her  readers.  As  might  be 
expected,  the  old  picturesqueness  of  the  native  life  is 
fast  disappearing  under  the  pressure  of  Western  civiliza- 
tion, and  we  have  reason  to  be  thankful  to  those 
travellers  who  do  their  best  to  catch  its  waning  features, 
and  transfer  them  as  faithfully  as  may  be  to  the  printed 
page.  The  chief  archaeological  curiosities  here  are  the 
tombs  of  the  old  Tongan  kings,  cyclopean  monuments 
built  up  of  huge  volcanic  blocks,  which  seem  to  have 
been  brought  from  the  Wallis  group  of  islands  in  open 
canoes,  and  erected  on  their  present  site  with  an 
immense  expenditure  of  human  labour.  Scarcely  less 
remarkable  is  the  great  solitary  dolmen,  which  still 
exists  intact,  though  of  its  origin  nothing  is  known, 
even  in  tradition.  But  that  it  marks  the  last  resting- 
place  of  some  great  chief  or  hero  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  until  within  the  last  few  years  an  immense 
Kava  tent  stood  upon  the  transverse  capstone  of  the 
dolmen,  and  that  feasts  were   celebrated  on  the  spot. 

29 


446  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

As  Miss  Gumming  reminds,  similar  celebrations  take 
place  in  many  parts  of  Britain  and  Brittany  "at  the 
stones"  to  the  present  day. 

From  Tonga  Miss  Gumming  was  conveyed  to  Samoa, 
where  she  was  very  hospitably  received  by  the  Samoan 
notables,  and  might  have  enjoyed  herself  greatly,  but 
for  the  civil  war  in  which  the  group  is  always  plunged. 
It  is  to  the  credit  of  the  inhabitants,  however,  that  they 
agree  to  abstain  from  fighting  on  at  least  one  day  of  the 
week.  In  their  manners  and  customs  they  retain  more 
of  the  primitive  simplicity  than  is  found  now-a-days  in 
most  of  the  Polynesian  islands. 

Her  descriptions  of  Tahiti,  the  Eden  of  the  Pacific, 
.are  not  less  glowing  than  those  of  her  predecessors,  from 
Wallis  and  Bougainville  down  to  "the  Earl  and  the 
Doctor."  They  are  full  of  warm,  rich  colour,  as  might 
ihave  been  expected  from  one  who  is  an  artist  as  well  as 
an  author,  and  set  before  us  such  a  succession  of  vivid 
and  enchanting  landscapes  as  hardly  any  other  portion 
•of  this  wide,  wide  world  can  parallel ;  for  with  the  bold 
majesty  of  Alpine  peaks  is  combined  the  luxuriant 
igrace  of  tropical  forests,  and  valleys  as  beautiful  as  that 
of  Tempe  open  out  upon  a  boundless  ocean  as  blue 
as  the  sky  it  glasses.  Add  to  this  that  the  vegetation 
has  a  charm  of  its  own — the  feathery  palm  and  the 
bread-fruit  tree  lending  to  it  a  quite  distinctive  character. 
Here  is  a  vignette,  which  will  give  the  reader  some 
notion  of  this  enchanting  Tahitian  scenery : — "  We 
rode  along  the   green  glades,  through   the   usual  sue- 


MISS   GORDON  GUMMING.  447 

cessions  of  glorious  foliage;  groves  of  magnificent 
bread-fruit  trees,  indigenous  to  those  isles ;  next  a  clump 
■of  noble  mango-trees,  recently  imported,  but  now  quite 
aX  home ;  then  a  group  of  tall  palms,  or  a  long  avenue 
•of  gigantic  bananas,  their  leaves  sometimes  twelve  feet 
long,  meeting  over  our  heads.  Then  came  patches  of 
sugar  or  Indian  corn,  and  next  a  plantation  of  vanilla, 
trained  to  climb  over  closely-planted  tall  coffee,  or  else 
•over  vermilion  bushes.  Sometimes  it  is  planted  without 
more  ado  at  the  root  of  pruned  guava  bushes.  These 
^ow  wild  over  the  whole  country,  loaded  vvith  large, 
excellent  fruit,  and,  moreover,  supply  the  whole  fuel 
of  the  isles,  and  good  food  for  cattle.  .  .  .  Amidst  all 
this  wealth  of  food-producing  vegetation,  I  sometimes 
looked  in  vain  for  any  trees  that  were  merely  ornamental ; 
and  literally  there  were  only  the  yellow  hibiscus,  which 
yields  a  useful  fibre,  and  the  candle-nut,  covered  with 
clusters  of  white  blossoms,  somewhat  resembling  white 
lilac,  and  bearing  nuts  with  oily  kernels,  whence  the  tree 
derives  its  name."  * 

Here  is  a  larger  picture,  taken  on  one  of  the  smaller 
islands  of  the  Society  archipelago  : — 

"  I  fear  no  description  can  possibly  convey  to  your 
mind  a  true  picture  of  the  lovely  woods  through  which 
we  wander  just  where  fancy  leads  us,  knowing  that  no 
hurtful  creature  of  any  sort  lurks  among  the  mossy 
rocks  or  in  the   rich  undergrowth  of  ferns.     Here  and 

•  C.  F.  Gordon  Gumming:  "A  Lady's  Cruise  in  a  ireocn 
Man-or-uar,  '  u.  38,  39. 


44S  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

there  we  come  on  patches  of  soft  green  turf,  delightfully 
suggestive  of  rest,  beneath  the  broad  shadow  of  some 
great  tree  with  buttressed  roots  \  but  more  often  the 
broken  rays  of  sunlight  gleam  in  ten  thousand  reflected 
lights,  dancing  and  glancing  as  they  shimmer  on  glossy 
leaves  of  every  form  and  shade — from  the  huge  silky 
leaves  of  the  wild  plantain  or  the  giant  arum  to  the 
waving  palm-fronds,  which  are  so  rarely  at  rest,  but 
flash  and  gleam  like  polished  swords  as  they  bend  and 
twist  with  every  breath  of  air. 

"  It  has  just  occurred  to  me  that  probably  you  have 
no  very  distinct  idea  of  the  shape  of  a  cocoa-palm  leaf^ 
which  does  not  bear  the  slightest  resemblance  to  the 
palmettes  in  the  greenhouses.  It  consists  of  a  strong 
mid-rib  about  eight  feet  long,  which,  at  the  end  next  to 
the  tree,  spreads  out  very  much  as  your  two  clenched 
fists,  placed  side  by  side,  do  from  your  wrists.  The 
other  end  tapers  to  a  point.  For  a  space  of  about  two 
feet  the  stalk  is  bare ;  then  along  the  remaining  six  feet. 
a  regiment  of  short  swords,  graduated  from  two  feet  to- 
eighteen  inches  in  length,  are  set  close  together  on  each 
side  of  the  mid-rib.  Of  course,  the  faintest  stir  of  the 
leaf  causes  these  multitudinous  swordlets  to  flash  in  the 
sunlight     Hence  the  continual  effect  of  glittering  light. 

"  A  little  lower  than  these  tall  queens  of  the  coral- 
isles  rise  fairy-like  canopies  of  graceful  tree-ferns,  often 
festooned  with  most  delicate  lianas ;  and  there  are  places 
where  not  these  only,  but  the  larger  trees,  are  literally 
matted  together  by  the  dense  growth  of  the   beautiful 


MISS  GORDON  GUMMING.  449 

large-leaved  white  convolvulus,  or  the  smaller  lilac 
ipomaae,  which  twines  round  the  tall  stems  of  the  palms, 
and  overspreads  the  light  fronds  like  some  green  water- 
fall. Many  of  the  larger  trees  are  clothed  with  parasitic 
ferns ;  huge  bird's-nest  ferns  grow  in  the  forks  of  the 
branches,  as  do  various  orchids,  the  dainty  children  of 
ihe  mist,  so  that  the  stems  are  well-nigh  as  green  as 
everything  else  in  that  wilderness  of  lovely  forms.  It  is 
a  very  inanimate  paradise,  however.  I  rarely  see  any 
birds  or  butterflies,  only  a  few  lizards  and  an  occasional 
dragon-fly;  and  the  voice  of  singing-birds,  such  as 
gladden  our  hearts  in  humble  English  woods,  is  here 
mute;  so  we  have  at  least  this  compensation  for  the 
lack  of  all  the  wild  luxuriance  which  here  is  so 
fascinating." 

From  Miss  Cumming's  animated  pages  we  might  con- 
tinue to  borrow  with  advantage  to  our  readers.  But  we 
must  rest  satisfied  with  one  more  picture,  and  this  shall 
be  a  view  of  the  Tahitian  market-place  at  Papeete  : — 

**  Passing  by  roads  which  are  called  streets,  but  are 
rather  shady  bowers  of  yellow  hibiscus  and  bread-fruit 
trees,  I  entered  the  covered  market-place,  where  was 
assembled  as  gay  a  throng  as  you  could  wish  to  see, 
many  of  them  dressed  in  flowing  robes  of  the  very 
brightest  colours;  for  the  people  here  assembled  are 
chiefly  ie  peuple,  whose  days  of  ceremonial  mourning 
for  their  good  old  queen  are  drawing  to  a  close;  so 
the  long  tresses  of  glossy  black  hair,  hitherto  so  care- 
fully hidden  within    their  jaunty   little   sailor-hats,  are 


450  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

now  again  suffered  to  hang  at  full  length  in  two  silky 
plaits,   and    hair    and    hats   are   wreathed    with  bright 
fragrant    flowers    of   double    Cape    jessamine,    orange 
blossom,    scarlet    hibiscus,    or    oleander.      Many   wear 
a  delicate  white   jessamine  star  in  the  ear  in  place  of 
an   ear-ring.      The    people    here    are  not  so  winsome 
as  those  in  remoter  districts.     Too  much  contact  with 
shipping  and    grog-shops    has,    of   course,    gone  far  to- 
deteriorate  them,   and    take   off   the    freshness  of  iife;. 
but  a  South  Sea  crowd  is  always  made  up    of  groups 
pleasant  to   the  eye;   and   a  party  of  girls  dressed  in 
long  graceful   sacques   of    pale   sea-green,    or    delicate 
pink,    pure   white,    or    bright    crimson,    chatting    and 
laughing  as  they  roll  up  minute  fragments  of  tobacco 
in  strips  of  pandameo  or  banana  to  supply  the  inevitable 
cigarette,  is  always  attractive. 

**  The  men  all  wear  pavus  of  Manchester  cotton  stuff, 
prepared  expressly  for  these  isles,  and  of  the  most 
wonderful  patterns  Those  most  in  favour  are  bright, 
crimson,  with  a  large  white  pattern,  perhaps  groups 
of  red  crowns  on  circles  of  white,  arranged  on  a  scarlet 
ground,  or  else  rows  of  white  crowns  alternating  with 
groups  of  stars.  A  dark  blue  ground  with  circles  and 
crosses  in  bright  yellow,  or  scarlet  with  yellow  anchors 
and  circles,  also  find  great  favour;  and  though  they 
certainly  sound  '  loud '  when  thus  described,  they  are 
singularly  effective.  It  is  wonderful  what  a  variety  of 
patterns  can  be  produced,  not  one  of  which  has  ever 
been  seen  in  England.     With  these,  the  men  wear  white 


MISS  GORDON  GUMMING,  4?i 

shirts  and  sailors'  hats,  with  bright-coloured  silk  hand- 
kerchiefs tied  over  them  and  knotted  on  the  ear;  or 
else  a  gay  garland.  .  .  . 

**  Every  one  brings  to  the  morning  market  whatever 
he  happens  to  have  for  sale.  Some  days  he  has  a  large 
stock-in-trade,  sometimes  next  to  nothing.  But,  be  it 
little  or  be  it  much,  he  divides  it  into  two  lots,  and 
slings  his  parcels  or  baskets  from  a  light  bamboo  pole 
which  rests  across  his  shoulder,  and,  light  as  it  is,  often 
weighs  more  than  the  trifles  suspended  from  it ;  perhaps 
a  few  shrimps  in  a  green  leaf  are  slung  from  one  end, 
and  a  lobster  from  the  other,  or,  it  may  be,  a  tiny 
basket  of  new-laid  eggs  balanced  by  half  a  dozen  silvery 
fishes. 

"  But  often  the  burden  is  so  heavy  that  the  pole 
bends  with  the  weight — of  perhaps  two  huge  bunches  of 
mountain  bananas,  and  you  think  how  that  poor  fellow's 
shoulder  must  have  ached  as  he  carried  his  spoil  down 
the  steep  mountain  path  from  the  cleft  in  the  rugged 
rock  where  the  faces  had  contrived  to  take  root  These 
resemble  bunches  of  gigantic  golden  plums.  As  a  bit 
of  colour  they  are  glorious,  but  as  a  vegetable  I  cannot 
learn  to  like  them,  which  is  perhaps  as  well,  as  the 
native  proverb  says  that  the  foreigner  who  does  appre- 
ciate faces  can  never  stay  away  from  Tahiti. 

'*As  you  enter  the  cool,  shady  market,  you  see 
hundreds  of  those  golden  clusters  hanging  from  ropes 
stretched  across  the  building,  and  great  bunches  of 
mangoes  and  oranges.     These  last  lie  heaped  in  baskets 


452  WOMAN  AS  A    TRA  VELLER. 

among  cool  green  leaves.  Sometimes  a  whole  laden 
bough  has  been  recklessly  cut  off.  Pine-apples,  bread- 
fruit, cocoa-nut,  all  are  there,  and  baskets  of  scarlet 
tomatoes,  suggestive  of  cool  salads."  * 

We  must  pass  over  with  a  word  of  allusion  Mrs. 
Macquoid's  entertaining  records  of  her  tours  in  Nor- 
mandy and  Brittany,  and  the  Ardennes,  where  she 
found  the  scenery  which  gives  so  much  picturesqueness 
of  character  to  some  of  her  best  fictions.  Nor  can  we 
undertake  to  dwell  on  Mrs.  Mulhall's  "  Between  the 
Amazon  and  the  Andes,"  though  it  deals  with  a  region 
not  by  any  means  familiarly  known  even  to  geographers, 
and  is  undoubtedly  a  valuable  addition  to  the  literature 
of  South  American  travel.  Mrs.  Minto  Elliot  has 
written  two  pleasant  volumes  descriptive  of  the  experi- 
ences of  "An  Idle  Woman  in  Sicily,"  but  they  contain 
nothing  very  new  or  striking.  Of  higher  value  is  Lady 
Duffus  Hardy's  "Tour  in  America,"  and  still  higher 
value  Lady  Anne  Blunt's  "  Pilgrimage  to  Nijd."  Mrs. 
T.  F.  Hughes  embodies  much  curious  and  suggestive 
information  in  her  account  of  a  "  Residence  in  China." 
Miss  Gertrude  Forde's  '*  Lady's  Tour  in  Corsica "  is 
an  interesting  supplement  to  previous  works  on  that 
romantic  island. 

"What  We  Saw  in  Australia"  is  the  journal  of  two 
sisters,    Florence   and   Rosamond    Hill,    who,    without 

•  C.  F.  Gordon  Gumming:  **A  Lady's  Cruise  in  a  French 
Man-of-War,"  ii.  177— 1 8 1. 


FLORENCE  AND  ROSAMOND  HILL,        453 

^servants  or  escort,  accomplished  the  voyage  to  the 
great  island-continent;  visited  Adelaide,  Melbourne, 
-and  Sydney,  with  all  the  remarkable  places  in  the 
vicinity  of  each ;  made  a  trip  to  Tasmania,  and  returned 
home  by  way  of  Bombay,  Egypt,  and  Italy.  "We 
encountered,"  they  say,  "no  gales  of  any  severity, 
have  to  record  no  alarming  adventures,  and  returned 
to  England  after  sixteen  months'  absence,  convinced 
by  experience  that  to  persons  of  average  health  and 
strength  the  difficulties  of  such  a  journey  exist  only 
Tin  the  imagination.  It  may,  we  feel  sure,  be  accom- 
plished with  ease  and  comfort  by  ladies  unprovided 
with  servants  or  escort."  The  sisters  were  insatiable 
in  the  pursuit  of  information,  and  their  book  affords 
a  tolerably  comprehensive  view  of  the  economic  and 
social  conditions  of  the  Australian  colonies.  Thus,  we 
are  told  that  "the  number  of  post-offices  throughout 
South  Australia  is  348,  employing  336  officials,  besides 
! fifty-six  others,  who  are  also  engaged  in  telegraph  work. 
Mails  are  despatched  by  every  steamer  to  Melbourne, 
•and  three  times  weekly  overland,  the  latter  journey 
occupying  ninety-six  hours.  Mail-omnibuses  convey 
'the  country  letters  where  the  roads  are  good,  which  is 
the  case  for  many  miles  out  of  town  in  numerous  direc- 
tions. For  more  distant  places  coaches  are  used,  much 
resembling  a  box  hung  high  upon  four  wheels ;  all  the 
•parts  are  very  strong,  and  leathern  curtains  over  the 
•windows  largely  take  the  place  of  glass,  the  presence 
of  which  is  undesirable  in  a  break-down  or  roll  over. 


454  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

The   interior   is   provided  with   straps   to  be   clung  to* 
by  the  unhappy  passengers  as  the  vehicle  pursues  its 
bumping   way."      Orphan   schools,   institutes,    reforma- 
tories, cabs,  museums,  hospitals,  prisons — all  attracted 
the    attention   of   the    two  travellers,    who    are   much 
to    be   commended    for   their    scrupulous   attention  ta- 
accuracy.     But  they  did  not  neglect  the  various  aspects - 
of  Australian  scenery,  so  far  as  they  came  within  their 
purview.     They  did  not  penetrate  into  the  interior,  and. 
their  range  was  not  very  wide  or  novel,  but  what  they 
saw   they  describe  with  characteristic  and  pains-taking 
fidelity.     Here  is  their  description  of  Go  vat's  Leap,  a. 
remarkable  valley,  one  of  the  lions  of  New  South  Wales, 
about  five  miles  from  Mount  Victoria : — 

"We  followed  for  a  considerable  distance  the  high 
road  to  Bathurst  cut  through  the  bush.  The  mass  of 
gum-trees  on  either  side  looked  beautiful  in  their  fresh 
summer  foliage.  The  young  shoots  are  crimson,  and 
when  seen  against  the  blue  sky,  the  sunshine  gleaming 
through  them,  the  tree  seems  covered  with  gorgeous, 
blossom.  Leaving  the  road,  we  turned  into  the  scrub, 
and  drove  over  a  sandy  soil  among  small  gum-trees  and; 
smaller  scrub.  When  at  length  we  quitted  the  carriage- 
and  had  followed  our  guide  for  a  short  distance,  we  sud- 
denly came  upon  what  appeared  to  be  an  enormous  rift 
in  the  ground,  which  yawned  beneath  our  feet.  Far- 
below  was  an  undulating  mass  of  foliage — the  tops  of  a 
forest  of  gum-trees,  which  covered  the  whole  bed  of  the 
valley.    Vast  was  the  height  from  which  we  looked  down,, 


FLORENCE  AND  ROSAMOND  HILL,       455 

so  that  the  trees  had  the  appearance  of  perfect  stillness, 
forming  in  the  glorious  sunshine  a  lovely  crimson-tinted 
carpet,  the  shadows  cast  upon  them  by  the  clouds  giving 
continual  variety  to  the  colouring.  At  the  upper  end 
of  the  valley,  towards  the  west,  the  cliffs  on  either  side 
were  somewhat  depressed.  Here  a  streamlet  fell  over 
the  rocks,  a  sheer  descent  of  1,200  feet,  but  so  gentle- 
Its  fall  appeared,  as  we  watched  it  obliquely  across  the 
valley,  that  the  water  looked  like  marabout  feathers  softly 
floating  downwards.  Towards  the  bottom  it  vanished: 
from  our  sight  among  large  stones,  and  if  in  that  dry 
season  the  stream  made  further  progress,  its  course  was- 
hidden  by  the  forest  at  its  feet.  Turning  towards  the 
south,  the  brown,  grey,  and  yellow  rocks  rose  perpen- 
dicularly, the  sunshine  softening  them  into  a  delicious 
harmony  of  colour ;  and  so  great  was  the  width  of  the 
valley,  that  a  waterfall  on  the  opposite  cliff  looked,  from 
where  we  stood,  like  a  silver  thread  against  its  side. 
Beyond,  the  valley  bore  away  in  a  southerly  direction 
until  it  was  closed  in  by  ranges  of  overlapping  hills  ot 
lovely  blue — indigo  or  cobalt — as  the  blaze  of  the  sun  or 
the  shadow  of  the  clouds  fell  upon  them.  But  for  the 
faint  murmur  caused  either  by  the  falling  of  the  water 
or  the  wind  among  the  trees,  the  place  was  silent,  and 
it  was  almost  devoid  of  animal  life.  A  bird  or  two- 
overhead,  and  the  noiseless  lizards  who  ran  over  our 
dresses  as  we  attempted  to  sketch  the  scene,  represented, 
ihe  whole  animal  life  within  sight  or  hearing."* 

•  F.  and  R.  Hill :  *'  What  We  Saw  in  Australia,"  pp.  321,  322^ 


456  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

Lady  Barker  is  a  practised  writer,  and  a  good  deal  of 
literary  skill  is  shown  in  her  books  of  travel,  "  Station 
Life  in  New  Zealand "  and  "  A  Year's  Housekeeping 
in  South  Africa."  Pleasanter  reading  one  could  hardly 
wish  for;  the  sketches  are  vivid,  and  the  observations 
judicious  j  the  style  is  fluent,  and  flavoured  by  a  genial 
and  unobtrusive  humour.  Lady  Barker  looks  at  things, 
of  course,  with  a  woman's  eye,  and  this  womanliness  is 
one  of  the  charms  of  her  books.  She  sees  so  much 
that  no  man  would  ever  have  seen,  and  sees  it  all  in  a 
light  so  different  from  that  in  which  men  would  have 
seen  it.  To  our  knowledge  of  South  Africa,  Lady  Barker 
has  unquestionably  made  a  very  real  and  interesting 
contribution.  She  and  her  husband,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  an  official  position  of  importance  in  Natal, 
arrived  at  Cape  Town  in  October,  1875,  and,  after  a 
brief  rest,  steamed  along  the  coast  to  the  little  port  of 
East  London.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Port  Durban, 
where  they  disembarked,  and,  in  waggons  drawn  by 
mules,  jolted  over  the  fifty-two  miles  that  lie  between 
Port  Durban  and  their  place  of  destination,  Maritzburg. 
During  her  residence  there  she  made  good  use  of  her 
time  and  opportunities,  studying  the  native  ways  and 
usages,  sketching  Zulus  and  Kaffirs,  interviewing  witches 
and  witch-finders,  exploring  the  scenery  of  the  interior, 
and  accomplishing  an  expedition  into  the  Bush,  the  result 
being  a  book  of  some  320  pages,  in  which  not  one  is  dull 
or  unreadable.  Of  her  lightness  and  firmness  of  touch  we 
can  give  but  one  specimen,  a  sketch  of  a  Kaffir  bride  : — 


LADY  BARKER.  457 

"She  was  exceedingly  smart,  and  had  one  of  the 
prettiest  faces  imaginable.  The  regular  features,  oval 
face,  dazzling  teeth,  and  charming  expression,  were  not 
a  bit  disfigured  by  her  jet-black  skin.  Her  hair  was 
drawn  straight  up  from  her  head  like  a  tiara,  stained 
red,  and  ornamented  with  a  profusion  of  bone  skewers, 
a  tuft  of  feathers  being  stuck  coquettishly  over  one  ear, 
and  a  band  of  bead  embroidery,  studded  with  brass- 
headed  nails,  worn  like  a  fillet  where  the  hair  grew  low 
on  the  forehead.  She  had  a  kilt,  or  series  of  aprons 
rather,  of  lynx  skins,  a  sort  of  bodice  of  calf-skin,  and 
over  her  shoulders,  arranged  with  ineffable  grace,  a  gay 
table-cover.  Then  there  were  strings  of  beads  on  her 
pretty,  shapely  throat  and  arms,  and  a  bright  scarlet 
ribbon  tied  tightly  round  each  ankle.  All  the  rest  of  the 
party  seemed  immensely  proud  of  this  young  person, 
and  were  very  anxious  to  put  her  forward  in  every  way. 
Indeed,  all  the  other  women,  mostly  hard-working,  hard- 
featured  matrons,  prematurely  aged,  took  no  more  part 
in  the  visit  than  the  chorus  of  a  Greek  play,  always 
excepting  the  old  luduna,  or  headman  of  the  village, 
who  came  as  escort,  and  in  charge  of  the  whole  party. 
This  was  a  most  garrulous  and  amusing  individual,  full 
of  reminiscences  and  anecdotes  of  his  fighting  days. 
He  was  rather  more  frank  than  most  warriors,  wha 
*  shoulder  their  crutch,  and  show  how  fields  are  won ;' 
for  the  usual  end  of  his  battle  stories  was  the  naive 
confession,  'and  then  I  thought  I  should  be  killed,  and 
50  I  ran  away.'     He  and  I  used  up  a  great  many  inter- 


.458  WOMAN  AS  A    TRAVELLER. 

preters  in  the  course  of  the  visit ;  for  he  wearied  every 
-one  out,  and  nothing  made  him  so  angry  as  any  attempt 
to  condense  his  conversation  in  translating  it  to  me. 
But  he  was  great  fun ;  polite  as  became  an  old  soldier, 
full  of  compliments  and  assurances  that.  *  now  the  hap- 
piest day  of  his  life  having  come,  he  desired  to  live  no 
longer,  but  was  ready  for  death.'  The  visit  took  place 
•on  the  shady  side  of  the  verandah,  and  thither  I  brought 
-a  large  musical  box  and  set  it  down  on  the  ground  to 
play.  Never  was  there  such  a  success.  In  a  moment 
rthey  were  all  down  on  their  knees  before  it  listening 
with  rapt  delight,  the  old  man  telling  them  the  music 
was  caused  by  very  little  people  inside  the  box,  who 
were  obliged  to  do  exactly  as  I  bade  them.  They  were 
■  in  a  perfect  ecstasy  of  delight  for  ever  so  long,  retreating 
I  rapidly,  however,  to  a  distance  whenever  I  wound  it  up. 
The  old  luduna  took  snuff  copiously  all  the  time,  and 
made  me  affectionate  speeches,  which  resulted  in  the 
gift  of  an  old  great  coat,  which  he  assured  me  he  never 
would  live  to  wear  out,  because  he  was  quite  in  a  hurry 
to  die  and  go  to  the  white  man's  land  now  that  he  had 
seen  me."* 

Of  all  the  European  countries,  Hungary,  we  think,  is 
fthe  one  least  represented  in  our  English  literature  of 
travel,  though  to  Englishmen  it  might  seem  to  have 
^peculiar  attractions,  in  virtue  of  its  romantic  scenery,  its 


•  Lady   Barker:    **Jl  Year's  Housekeeping  in  South  Afiica,' 
tpp.  312—314. 


**magvarland:'  459 

•historical  associations,  and  the  brave,  independent,  and 
vigorous  character  of  its  inhabitants.  **  Its  history  is 
that  of  Greece,"  says  a  German  writer;  "the  same 
heroism  lives  within  its  borders,  the  names  of  its  heroes 
alone  have  changed."  We  turn,  therefore,  with  interest, 
while  writing  these  last  pages,  to  "  Magyarland,"  a  lady's 
"  Narrative  of  Travels  through  the  Highlands  and  Low- 
lands of  Hungary."  She  entered  Hungary  on  the  side 
•of  its  majestic  Aljola,  or  plains,  which  extend  over  an 
■area  of  5,400  square  miles,  and  in  some  places  are 
inhospitable  sandy  wastes ;  in  some,  highly  cultivated ; 
in  others,  green  and  flowery  pastures,  where  large  herds 
•of  horses  and  cattle  roam  unfettered.  These  plains  are 
inhabited  by  various  races — the  Magyars,  who  are  the 
dominant  people  ;  the  Wallachs,  who  dwell  in  the  east- 
•emmost  districts ;  the  Germans,  Saxons,  and  Shecklers. 
South-west  of  the  Carpathians  live  the  Slovaks;  in 
Croatia  and  Servia  the  Croat  Serbs;  and  in  the  pro- 
vinces south-east  of  the  Carpathians  are  the  Rusniaks 
or  Ruthenians.  About  these  races,  and  their  manners 
and  customs— about  Buda-Pesth  and  Semlin,  and  the 
4ce-caves  of  the  snowy  Tabree,  and  the  wines  of  Tokay, 
and  the  scenery  of  Romania,  our  authoress  has  much  to 
•say  with  equal  liveliness  and  grace. 


RE 

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